The City’s Transportation Network Improvement Plan (TNI) was discussed at the April 2 Public Facilities Committee. The TNI, formerly known as the Accelerated Road Program, was designed by Mayor Setti Warren. Its goal was to improve the condition of Newton’s roads by increasing road repair spending $9 million a year for a decade. When it began in 2018, the average road pavement condition index (PCI) was 59.3 for local and 69.5 for arterial and collector streets. Roughly 100 miles of the city’s 279 miles of roadway were rated lower than 55 PCI. Six years later, Newton’s TNI Annual Update shows that PCI has improved to 69.2 for local roads and 81.2 for arterial and collector streets.
Last year, the city repaved 15.65 miles of roads and patched 27,000 potholes. Much of the pothole work was done in-house by the Department of Public Works (DPW) to lower costs. When asked about the possibility of improving the quality of patching so that the repair is even with the surface and does not sink and create a vertical displacement (sharp dropped edge) that is dangerous to bikers, the DPW replied that better patching techniques would be more expensive and require more time, and that given the volume of road patches, this would be difficult for the City to do.
DPW coordinates with utility companies to minimize their cutting into newly repaved roads. The City requires utility companies to repave a road from curb to curb if the road was repaved less than five years ago. DPW Commissioner Shawna Sullivan noted that the City has about two level-one (very hazardous) gas leaks weekly. These leads require a 24-hour response, and their repair requires cutting into the roads, regardless of how recently they have been repaved.
Long-term funding to maintain the TNI program remains unclear. Newton’s Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Yeo said Setti Warren’s Accelerated Road Program was aspirational and never fully funded. The City has met the $9 million spending target with free cash along with grants topping up the DPW road-work budget. The federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the state’s Millionaires Tax pumped a huge infusion of funds into the TNI program, yielding Newton over $16 million to spend this year.
The TNI program consultants from APEX have repeatedly stated that spending on road maintenance now saves money in the long run. They noted that overall construction costs have escalated and that the scope of the TNI program has increased to include ADA curb cuts, road striping for bike lanes, and sidewalk repairs. They note that if the City continues to budget $9 million annually for road repair, the City’s overall PCI will drop into the “fair” range by 2027.
When asked how the DPW is coordinating with the City’s soon-to-be-released bicycle and pedestrian plan (funded through a grant obtained by the Planning Department), Commissioner Sullivan responded that the paving plan is guided by the City’s Capital Improvements Plan and that sidewalk repairs and bike lanes (painted) will be included where appropriate.
Traffic calming projects are funded separately from the TNI program, which does not change the shape of the road to improve safety. The DPW listed upcoming traffic calming projects, including two raised-table intersections (Brookline Street at Spaulding and Hartman Road and Waverley Avenue at Franklin Street), bump-outs along the Lexington Street corridor, and approximately 20 new Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacons.
See NewTV’s video of the Committee meeting and the 2025 street paving list.
