South Cambridge Street Nantucket, Massachusetts -
Nantucket
South Cambridge St.
Followup and summary of an ongoing issue.
I would like to thank the DPW Administration for acknowledging this issue, as well as our concerns and frustrations.
In a recent post a comment was made that in the past S. Cambridge was only graded twice a year and is now graded monthly. Unfortunately times have changed and the bandaid repairs of the past are no longer sufficient for a multitude of reasons given the changes in population and road usage.
1. There is no gravel or hardener on this road. Years of repeated blade grading have reduced this road to soft sand which ruts and forms pot holes immediately after grading because of traffic and weather conditions. Furthermore there has never been any crowning of So. Cambridge St. to control runoff during heavy rains and avoid the gullies that form.
2. There is a lot of major construction in the surrounding area and very large construction vehicles accelerate the damage.
3. Overall there are more people living in the surrounding area.
a. There are more year round residents.
b. There are more people using their properties in the shoulder season.
c. We are also concerned that emergency vehicle response time is hampered by these nearly impassable roads.
4. Some of us have incurred significant damage to our cars. The front end of my car was totaled last winter and was beyond repair. Last year we were told that once the ground freezes that routine maintenance cannot be performed. With partially frozen water in large potholes and a light covering of snow the pot hole become invisible and a menace to car suspensions.
It is time for the Town to develop a long term solution. Repeated band-aids are so temporary that they are useless and not cost effective. We would like to establish a dialogue between the neighborhood and the DPW, so we can work together to make a long term fix a Town priority. Who shall we contact to start this process?
