Springfield’s $2 million neighborhood street program being finalized

The process has worked, but Moore said every project requires concrete, which has increased in cost the past year. Moore said it has not substantially affected projects.

“We won’t let a single-year spike derail everything,” he said.

Which streets will receive work this year? That is still being considered, and the selection process is complex, Moore said. That is because of what is not seen, he added.

“In many cases, if someone’s road isn’t getting paved as quickly as it should, it’s likely due to the infrastructure underground, the part they do not see,” Moore said.

He explained the factors weighed by city officials.

“The number one factor is the gas company lines. We don’t want to fix a street and then have the gas company come in behind us to make their necessary upgrades,” he said.

The city also uses a pavement condition rating gathered by a third party.

“So we can look at all of these factors together — what the gas companies have done, these streets are bad, what does our underground infrastructure look like, what other development projects might be happening in the area and what other construction projects might be going on?” Moore said. “There is a method to the madness.”

Moore noted every “legacy” city like Springfield that has been around more than 100 years faces the challenge of multiple layers of aging infrastructure that require repair or replacement.

“To have a program like ours that is systematically paving every road sounds great,” he said, “but we want to make sure we’re not paving only to have to tear it up to repair the infrastructure underneath.”

Moore encourages people to use the city’s website or call the service center to let them know about concerns or problems with streets.

“When residents let us know about a problem, and it’s a minor repair, we can take care of things from a maintenance standpoint and also start assessing it to see how it might fit into the annual program,” Moore said. “And it gives us a touchpoint to the neighbors so we can let them know why their street may not be on the immediate repair list.”

He said residents usually understand when the system is explained.

“Sometimes we’ve had cases where someone talks to us, and we understand a problem was not on our radar and it should have been. Other times we are explaining to them that there is a 102-inch sewer line under your road, and we need to give it attention before we can pave the street,” Moore said.

Street projects that were completed or are near completion from 2022 include: