Newport road grading set for Webster, Moore, Maplewood drives, Monday work too

Webster Road, Moore Road and Maplewood Drive were Newport’s first grading targets, with crews also set to work East Mountain Road and Pysz Road on Monday, May 4, weather permitting. The town told drivers to use caution in the work areas, a warning that pointed to slower travel, rough patches and the possibility of dust or loose material along the routes.

The schedule came from a Highway Department that Newport says is responsible for maintenance, rehabilitation and drainage on all town highways. Its jurisdiction covers about 65 miles of roads, including 41 paved miles and 24 dirt miles, and the broader Public Works Department handles snow and ice removal, stormwater drainage, water supply and distribution, sewage collection, fleet maintenance, road and public-property upkeep and engineering services. Newport’s 2024 departmental overview listed 20 full-time staff members, one part-time employee and two per diem workers.

The grading notice landed in the middle of a busy spring maintenance cycle. A hydrant-flushing update on April 29 warned customers to expect low water pressure or discoloration during flushing, and the town lifted weight-limit bans for all roads on April 28. Just before that, Public Works closed Bascom Road to all through traffic on April 27 for a culvert installation, a full hard closure that sent residents east of address 170 to the Unity Road side and residents west of address 183 to the Whitcher Road side. Chandlers Mill Road was also closed on April 28 for culvert work at address 440, with residents east of 440 directed to access from John Stark Highway.

Newport’s mud-season guidance explains why those spring notices matter. The town says it has 24 miles of gravel roads, and that heavy equipment on soft dirt can push water to the surface and create ruts that hold even more water. The town’s water system dates to 1894, when iron pipe was laid from Gilman Pond in Unity to the center of Newport, and the community now lists its incorporation as Oct. 6, 1761, its land area as 43.6 square miles and its population as 6,110. As the county seat of Sullivan County, Newport depends on a road network that has to hold together through thaw, runoff and the first heavier traffic of late spring.