Newport schedules road grading on five roads in early May

Newport’s Highway Department scheduled grading on five roads in early May, starting with Webster Road, Moore Road and Maplewood Drive on Friday, May 1, then East Mountain Road and Pysz Road on Monday, May 4. The town told drivers to use caution in those areas and warned residents to expect slow travel, temporary access disruption and road equipment working in the roadway, with weather conditions determining whether crews could complete the work as planned.

The notice matters because Newport is not treating this as a one-off touch-up. The town said its Highway Department is responsible for maintenance, rehabilitation and drainage on all town highways, a network that covers about 65 miles, including 41 paved miles and 24 dirt miles. In a town of about 6,500 people and the county seat of Sullivan County, that kind of sequencing affects school-bus routes, delivery schedules and the daily timing of anyone living along the roads slated for work.

The timing also fits Newport’s mud-season cycle. The town said mud season in New England typically runs from late March through the end of May, and its permit and road-posting rules began March 9. Newport warns that heavier traffic on dirt roads can force water back to the surface, create ruts and worsen muddy conditions, which is why drivers are urged to stay off dirt roads when possible. That helps explain why roads like Webster Road, Moore Road, East Mountain Road and Pysz Road are being watched closely.

Those four roads are also on Newport’s designated weight-limit road list, a sign that the town considers them especially vulnerable during wet weather. East Mountain Road, in particular, has already been a problem area. Newport’s 2023 highway annual report said severe rains in June and July 2023 flooded multiple locations, including East Mountain Road, and damaged roads and culverts. The report also said FEMA declared Disaster DR4740 for the July 9-17, 2023 storm period.

Town road work has been shaped by staffing and equipment limits as well. The 2023 report said the highway division was down one full-time and one part-time position, even as it bought an updated motor grader and planned training on the new machine. That helps explain why Newport has leaned on weather-dependent scheduling and advance notices. A similar grading schedule in 2025 also said timing could change with weather and other conditions. On the same week as the May grading notice, Newport also posted road-closure notices for Chandlers Mill Road and Bascom Road, underscoring how much roadway work the town was juggling at once.