If you have been using an alternate route to avoid Springville-Boston Road, you can now resume your old routine. Crews finished this massive project recently, repairing more than nine miles of roadway. Often called the Worst Roadway in Erie County, this important thoroughfare has been paved and is significantly safer. I have received a great deal of feedback from residents and businesses who are relieved this roadway was finally fixed.

There is a lesson to be learned here. The administration cannot let our roads get as bad as Springville-Boston Road did. Drivers dealt with wide, deep potholes, better described as craters; crumbling shoulders; and dodging oncoming traffic that was driving erratically to avoid damaging their car or going off the edge. More than unpleasant, it wasn’t safe for anyone: from passenger vehicles to emergency crews, school busses to trucks.

I have always advocated for an improved maintenance plan and again ask that we do a better job with upkeep of these roads. There is no excuse for residents to have county roads fall to the despair that Springville-Boston Road was.

Unfortunately, some projects don’t always go as planned. If it’s not the weather causing issues, it’s something else. This was the case on Route 240 near Kissing Bridge, from Holland Glenwood Road to Foote Road. Within days of crews finishing the top coat, the road started breaking apart. It was determined there was an issue with the materials used and that paving would have to be redone. It is my understanding that repairs have not been finished, but will be done this season. I am told that the second half of Route 240, south of Foote Road, will be done next year. The intersection at Genesee Road had to be fixed before Route 240 could be paved, which brings me to my next project.

West Genesee Road from the Town of Concord to the Town of North Collins, another major thoroughfare in southern Erie County, will be paved before the end of this season. I am touring the roadway this week so expect to see crews working along this stretch in the near future.  

The county also completed 200 miles of oil and chip projects this year, along with replacing several cross culverts and completing bridge maintenance. They had a busy spring, summer and fall.

If you have any questions or comments about road projects, please contact me at 858-8850 or john.mills@erie.gov. I will be happy to look into a future project or follow up on work that was done. You can also email Erie County Highway at DPWComplaints@erie.gov; report pothole complaints at potholes@erie.gov or call 858-7966. DPW is also active on Facebook and Twitter, posting throughout the day with updates of projects, bid and small, that crews are working on.