AMHERST — Resurfacing work on 23 roads and streets begins later this month, with a portion of North Pleasant Street between downtown Amherst and the University of Massachusetts campus being the most heavily traveled road to receive repairs.
The town announced this week that Warner Brothers Inc., of Sunderland, will handle the work at a bid price of $3.96 million. Work will continue into November and possibly longer, if weather conditions are favorable, town officials said.
Most of the work will take place on what are defined as local roads, which “travel over relatively short distances” next to busier roads. Many are in residential neighborhoods.
The lone principal arterial road being resurfaced is a 1,400-foot section of North Pleasant, from Triangle Street to Massachusetts Avenue, while a 1,600-foot section of Main Street, between South East Street and Pelham Road, is the lone minor arterial road in line for work.
A principal arterial road is defined as “suitable for statewide or interstate travel, with the capacity for movements between urban areas with populations over 50,000.” Minor arterials are defined as roads which “link larger towns that are capable of attracting travel over long distance.”
At 7,700 feet, the longest of these is Middle Street in South Amherst, from Pomeroy Lane to Bay Road. The other long stretches are both in the Cushman section of Amherst: 5,400 feet of Flat Hills Road, from Shutesbury Road to High Point Drive, and 4,850 feet of Market Hill Road, from Henry Street to Flat Hills Road.
The plan announced by the town outlines the roads that will be paved and repaired during the upcoming fall and spring seasons, with completion expected by June 30, 2027. Roads will receive different pavement treatment methods, such as reclamation or micro-milling, depending on their needs and the availability of funds.
“This investment is a start in addressing the backlog of road and sidewalk repairs in the town,” said Town Manager Paul Bockelman. “It will be important to maintain and increase this level of investment annually for the next several years to make a meaningful impact on the overall condition of our roads.”
The backlog of roads that need to be repaired in Amherst is estimated at $47.7 million. The town has 104 miles of roads.
The town uses Citylogix, a pavement management software to come up with the Pavement Condition Index to assess and classify the condition of roads on a scale from 0, or poor, to 100, or excellent. The 2025 Pavement Condition Map, which was based on a scan done in September 2025, shows that the town’s 104 miles of road average a PCI of 57, or fair condition.
The roads have been identified based on factors such as current pavement conditions, traffic volume, and the need for improved drainage and safety measures.
The other roads scheduled for work are:
Blackberry Lane, from Grantwood Drive to its end; Canton Avenue, from Grove Street to its end; Chesterfield Drive, from Columbia Drive to East Hadley Road; Gatehouse Road, from Belchertown Road to Stony Hill Road; Grantwood Drive, from East Pleasant Street to Blackberry Lane; Grove Street, from North Whitney Street to Canton Avenue; Harvard Avenue, from North Whitney Street to Grove Street; Henry Street, from Market Hill Rd to Pine Street; January Hills Road, from Market Hill Road to the Shutesbury town line; Justice Drive, from Columbia Drive to Chesterfield Drive; Kendrick Place, from Northampton Road to its end; Mount Pollux Drive, from South East Street to its end; Old North Pleasant Street, from East Pleasant Street to McClellan Street; Old Farm Road, from Belchertown Road to its end; Pomeroy Court, from Pomeroy Lane to its end; Potwine Lane, from Middle Street to South East Street; Station Road, from Wildflower Drive to 50 Station Road; and Wildflower Drive, from Old Farm Road to Tanglewood Drive.
Residents should anticipate temporary detours, periodic lane closures and some noise during construction hours.
As part of the town’s efforts to care for infrastructure, the Department of Public Works is introducing enhanced maintenance capacity and updated treatment methods to extend the scope of the work.
While the bid price was under $4 million, asphalt and diesel escalation fees have risen, so the cost could end up being higher when the work is done.
