Last week we discussed the future of Lansdale’s budget and necessity of finding new streams of revenue— other than taxes—to continue to improve our community. This is especially true because over the next five years the borough has put together a well-planned and well-orchestrated road repair program that will help upgrade one of our most valuable assets.
Our roads represent the first interaction many people have with our community, and for too long that first interaction has not been a fantastic one. When I was campaigning, and throughout my time as mayor, the most common conversation I have had with residents is about the need to improve our roads. I am pleased to say that we are well on our way to repairing our community. This is a necessary expense that we must invest in to keep our community looking great and attracting businesses and people to our home.
Naturally, people will ask how the roads were selected for repair and how was the timing decided upon. That, thankfully, is a relative straightforward answer: traffic volume and repair longevity. The more impact the road has seen, the more it needs repair. Additionally, some roads have gone too long without repair, and thus need to be slated for repair sooner rather than later. All of this data can be seen in our pavement management dashboard and highlights the level of detail and thought process that went into the planning of this long term project.
As we look beyond this project and begin considering how we can achieve the maximum value for our investment. We will be forced to consider how we can extend the longevity of our repair projects. Something to consider: the heavier the vehicle, the more wear and tear our roads will take and thus the more frequent they will need repair. No amount of new paving technology will reverse this reality and we will be forced to square with how we will deal with the high volume of heavy vehicles we have traversing our community.
Of course, this all takes time and as we head into the end of 2018 and into 2019 please keep in mind that weather and other unforeseen events can force the borough to alter plans and change the schedule. In the meantime, lets start thinking about how we can get the maximum life out of the significant investment we are making in our home.
(Editor's note: This is a weekly op-ed column submitted to North Penn Now, courtesy of Lansdale Borough Mayor Garry Herbert.)
See also:
Mayoral Musings: ‘Futureproofing Lansdale’
Mayoral Musings: ‘ Our Collective Wisdom and Religious Diversity’
Mayoral Musings: ‘Lansdale’s Power Play’
Mayoral Musings: ‘Labor Day Squared’
Mayoral Musings: 'Of Course, This is About Founders Day'
