The Village of Flower Hill’s Highway Department has unveiled the results of its first formal road survey.
The village says it maintains approximately 11 miles of road on 67 streets. For years had an annual road maintenance program, and the highway staff used an informal review process to determine road projects. In a statement, Mayor Brian Herrington praised the work of Highway Superintendent Rich Falcone and his staff.
“Our goal was to create a standard analysis of our roads so the village could make better long-term infrastructure maintenance decisions and residents could have transparency into that process,” Herrington said.
Falcone and the highway Department used a scoring process that incorporates inspections of both the road and gutters along the sides of the streets, and involves looking for potholes, cracks, deteriorating edges and other deficiencies in coming up with the scores. In addition to the annual road paving program, the Highway Department is proficient in making small repairs known as cold patching. By having this expertise in house, the village is able to maintain the quality of roads longer without having to bid out more costly projects, officials said.
The report said the majority of roads were rated fair or good, with a handful of roads rated either excellent or poor.
“I encourage our residents to go online to review the scoring map and provide us feedback,” Herrington said. “We hope it also helps people understand the work the village is doing to maintain our infrastructure.”
Results from the survey assisted the village in planning which areas to repave this year, with Farmview Road, Hemlock Roa, and Brook Lane on the list. The Highway Department will rely on state funding for the roads, and if the village’s revenue outlook improves it may add other roads to the plans. The report will also allow the Board of Trustees to better understand the status of the entire road system, making prioritization and allocation of resources more strategic.
The road survey results have been posted on the village’s website for the public to view, and the village administration has asked residents to provide any comments or questions through email at info@villageflowerhill.org or by calling Village Hall.
