Enfield eyeing $40 million road improvement plan for 2026 vote
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| Charts show the draft list of streets being considered by Enfield for improvement. [See detailed street list below story.] The plan is not final. Town Council approval and voter authorization is needed. |
Enfield may ask voters to approve about $40 million to rebuild roughly 17 miles of town roads. The proposal continues the town’s long-running effort to modernize its street network as aging pavement and rising costs put pressure on the system.
Since 2000, voters have approved about $163 million in road bonding. That work has covered more than 150 miles, or about 83% of Enfield’s roads. Major road programs have typically gone before voters every five years.
The Town Council has not approved anything. At a recent council meeting, town officials outlined the status of road improvements and the next phase. The council will have to decide how much to spend on roads, and then ask voters to approve it in November 2026.
The town's presentation can be viewed here. [The PDF begins with the town's snow and ice plan. Just scroll past that.]
The most recent program was approved in 2021, when voters backed a $30 million road bond. That referendum passed 73% to 27% (5,139 votes to 1,903, with 7,042 total votes). Work under that program has rebuilt 10.7 miles so far. Another 1.32 miles are under contract, and 1.77 miles are in design.
Town Manager Matthew Coppler said the council will need to decide by early 2026 if it wants to keep the five-year cycle and target the 2026 ballot.
If a referendum is approved, design work would likely begin in 2027, with construction running from 2028 through 2031.
The draft 2026 plan calls for 17.37 miles of reconstruction across all four voting districts. Current cost estimates put the average reconstruction expense at about $450 per linear foot, up from about $364 per foot under the current program. Officials linked the increase to inflation and higher labor and materials costs.
A PCI score of 0 means a failed road. A score of 100 represents new pavement. Streets below 50 generally require full reconstruction. Streets between 50 and 65 are candidates for resurfacing or other rehabilitation.
The draft list was built using:
-- PCI scores
-- Roads not improved in about 25 years
-- Complaint history
The list of 2026 project streets presented to the council, broken out by district.
The most recent program was approved in 2021, when voters backed a $30 million road bond. That referendum passed 73% to 27% (5,139 votes to 1,903, with 7,042 total votes). Work under that program has rebuilt 10.7 miles so far. Another 1.32 miles are under contract, and 1.77 miles are in design.
Roads have 20-year lifecycle
Public Works Director Donald Nunes told the Council that about 17% of Enfield’s roads are now beyond their useful life. Streets rebuilt in 2000 and 2005 are also reaching the end of their designed 20-year life cycle, meaning they will soon need major work again.Town Manager Matthew Coppler said the council will need to decide by early 2026 if it wants to keep the five-year cycle and target the 2026 ballot.
If a referendum is approved, design work would likely begin in 2027, with construction running from 2028 through 2031.
The draft 2026 plan calls for 17.37 miles of reconstruction across all four voting districts. Current cost estimates put the average reconstruction expense at about $450 per linear foot, up from about $364 per foot under the current program. Officials linked the increase to inflation and higher labor and materials costs.
How streets were chosen
The town used a new pavement management report prepared by BETA Group Inc. The firm used automated LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scanning to evaluate pavement conditions and assign Pavement Condition Index (PCI) scores to streets. These systems build 3-D models of roads using laser pulses.A PCI score of 0 means a failed road. A score of 100 represents new pavement. Streets below 50 generally require full reconstruction. Streets between 50 and 65 are candidates for resurfacing or other rehabilitation.
The draft list was built using:
-- PCI scores
-- Roads not improved in about 25 years
-- Complaint history
The list of 2026 project streets presented to the council, broken out by district.
