Malden residents seeing results of comprehensive, $6 million street rehabilitation, repaving project

Many local streets across entire city included in major road improvement initiative; One of largest in Malden history

By Steve Freker

It is readily apparent if you drive around the 5.081 square miles that make up the city of Malden that something big is under way.

Real big. Transformational big.

Just about the start of the new year, the Malden City Council, at the request of Mayor Gary Christenson, approved a major expenditure for road improvements as part of gigantic public infrastructure appropriation of just over $10 million.

A total of $6 million was earmarked for what is one of the largest— if not THE largest— single-year road rehabilitation projects in Malden municipal history.

This summer has seen the project under way in earnest, with many, many streets, including some major thoroughfares such as parts of Main and Pleasant streets, Mountain Avenue and Holden Street across from the central Fire Station, included.

The work includes “milling” the streets, in preparation for repaving.

According to an online source. Milling is the process of removing the top layer of asphalt to a specified and even depth without disturbing the underlying subbase. ]

This allows new asphalt to be laid down without increasing the height of the road and saves you time if the subbase doesn’t need to be fixed.

While this causes temporary uneven travel surfaces and raised castings, workers take the time with signage and often road cones to try and warn drivers of the short-term situation.

“It is certainly an inconvenience, but in the long run, we are going to have many newly repaved streets when the work is complete,” one Malden city official said Wednesday.

It will continue to take a bit extra time to get around the city for the rest of the summer into the fall, as the work continues, but the dividends will be paid “down the road,” literally.

Following are some of the latest “alerts” from the city on road reconstruction.

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REPAVING DETOURS
Friday, August 18
—Finish Salem Street

—From Broadway to Revere Street
—Holden Street

—From Salem to Centre Street
Saturday, August 19
—Finish Pleasant Street

— From Commercial to Elm
—Summer Street – From Pleasant to Maple
—Pleasant Park
–Cedar Street
Monday August 21
—Finish Cedar Street
—Ferry Street – From Eastern Ave
—Eastern Ave – From Main to Ferry
Tuesday August 22
—Bowdoin Street – Willow to Newland
Please Note: Paving schedule may change due to inclement weather.