By Marcia Parnell
Knowing the interest our readers have in “all things road,” March seemed like the ideal time to check in with town officials for the latest conditions and upcoming improvement plans.
Last year, short freeze and thaw spells see-sawed throughout the colder months and the variability resulted in potholes and erosion on paved surfaces and deep bowling-alley-like ruts on many dirt and gravel roads. This year? Extreme cold, high winds, and plenty of snow sum up the winter weather in Becket as of this writing. No mud season yet—but it’s sure to come.
Highway Superintendent Ed Pickert reports that sustained periods of well-below-freezing temperatures have had a particularly damaging impact on paved surfaces. Salt is used to melt snow and ice, and the water produced gets into cracks and breaks up the hard surface. As a result Pickert acknowledged that County and Yokum Pond Roads—already in rough shape—are now in “terrible condition.” Slated for design/engineering work, bridge repair, and full-depth reclamation in 2026-2027, the highway department plans to patch rough areas as a stopgap measure until permanent resurfacing can be done.
The thirty-one miles of unpaved roads that Becket maintains have fared far better than paved roads up to now. There’s been no significant thaw and crushed gravel is routinely spread to improve traction and driving safety. But Pickert warns as spring arrives, unpaved roads will become especially challenging. The frost this winter has gone very deep, and as the roads fully thaw, they will become wet, soft and easily rutted by local traffic.
Looking beyond winter to upcoming paved-road projects—which as reported in our February 2025 and November 2024 issues will be financed through an often-changing combination of bond financing, various state grants, Chapter 90 state allocations, and designated town highway department funds—Town Administrator Kathe Warden and Superintendent Pickert maintain a running spreadsheet. A simplified version detailing work completed from 2024 and planned through 2027 and beyond is included above. Theirs is a dynamic document because grant applications may be denied, costs are likely to rise, project funding is usually broken down by phase (such as design and engineering), and bond financing is a complex and potentially lengthy process.
What’s not captured today on any spreadsheet are highway department plans for ongoing improvements to Becket’s unpaved roads. Warden says they are addressed on an as-needed basis, and acknowledges that they need to take the same approach with gravel, particularly in light of the State’s Unpaved Roads Grant Program, which became effective in June 2025. Pickert says any awarded grants would likely go to drainage projects, which are more complex and costly than many towns can pay for and construct without outside assistance.
For now Warden’s submitted a grant to purchase a new, heavier roller and trailer. She notes that the grants may not be used to pave existing unpaved roads.
