The call for upgrades to a Bridgewater street could come at a hefty cost for the town and taxpayers.
Bridgewater town council requested an information report be conducted on the possibility of upgrading much of Pearl Street’s infrastructure following complaints aired by residents at a development public hearing in November.
The report, presented to council during their regular meeting in December, noted upgrades to the street’s surface, sewage system and storm water system would cost the town over $4.3 million to bring it to the town’s standards.
At the meeting, mayor David Mitchell questioned whether they should look at creating a secondary standard for roads outside the usual asphalt surface and curb and gutter drainage system.
“Should we have another standard, and I want to clarify not a substandard, but another standard to recognize some of the streets… they should be paved and have some amenities,” he said, “But an open ditch, for example, is not a bad thing.”
In a breakdown of costs presented with the report, a bulk of the cost would go toward installing a sewer system and pump station for the street, at a cost of $1.7 million.
A breakdown of the costs associated with bringing Pearl Street up to the TOB’s roadway standards was included in the presented report.
Councilor Wayne Thorburne also questioned if sidewalks and gutters were needed for the street, or if they could focus more on the road surface itself.
“Could we at least look at the possibility of, at some point in time, paving what we own?” he said.
“Without curbs, without gutters, at least just a solid base that we can plow in the winter time and get rid of the potholes.”
The report also noted pavement work, as well as curb and storm drainage work had been included on previous budgets to the tune of $609,000. However the work was set aside for at least 10 years from that budget date, if not longer.
“This will undoubtedly be something we discuss around budget time as we go through the list of capital projects and prioritize them,” said Mitchell.
“I say with some certainty the whole meal deal is not going to be done at $4 million, but we will see where it lands during the budget process.”
