Route 1 Guardia Editorial

On Thursday, August 10th, a 3-foot section of a 6-inch water main on Route 1 in Saugus burst near McDonald's restaurant, causing traffic accidents and backups for two days and leaving homes and businesses without water or fire protection for 15 hours.

Unfortunately, this isn’t all that surprising. Before this most recent incident, I spoke to a Saugus DPW employee who warned me of this issue.

“One of the biggest problems we face are the water mains that run along Route 1,” he said. “Because of heavy year-round traffic and ground heaves in the winter, these pipes require constant maintenance, especially where most of them are 50-60 years old.”

These pipes are an endless concern for our public works departments, but they don’t have to be. Being a state-run highway, all of Route 1’s maintenance falls under the jurisdiction of the state, but the water mains that run along it are the town’s responsibility.

Over the past 10 years, Saugus has borrowed approximately $900,000 from the MWRA to repair approximately 20 miles of water mains, but an estimated 100 miles still needs to be replaced, which could cost between 4 and 5 million dollars.

Unfortunately, the state intends to begin a project aimed at widening Route 1; from Copeland Circle in Revere to the Route 99 split, without adequately addressing this important issue. Before the state widens the Route 1, the State should fix the pipes under Route 1. This is common sense.

If the state properly funded Saugus for these water mains along Route 1, the towns could put that money to better use elsewhere within the town. The same DPW employee said that funding is always an issue. Small problems that could have been simple fixes can become days-long repairs, affecting businesses, residents and traffic.

My opponent spoke of securing $30 million in bonding that has still not been signed by the governor and has still not been released. This is unacceptable. I will bring effective leadership to Beacon Hill and hold people accountable on state projects that not just affect Saugus, but communities all along the North Shore. This, along with my plan to increase local aid, will bring more income to Saugus and make our community a more vibrant place to live and work.

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