SURPRISED BY UNRESTORED CUTS AND CROSSINGS

To the editor:

I read Peter Brace's article about the state of Nantucket's roads. I was particularly interested in the part about utility cuts and crossings. I found it pretty incredible that the utility companies are allowed to leave their excavations unrestored or poorly restored until the town does the restoration for them.

I work for the City of Rochester, N.Y. in the right-of-way permit office. A large part of our mission involves permitting and inspecting utility work that impacts our city streets.

Any company excavating our streets has to not only pay a significant permit fee but must also provide a high quality permanent pavement repair - which must be done immediately when the utility work is done - and guarantee this work for two years. Our inspection staff must accept every repair and they hold the companies doing the work to very strict standards. Unacceptable work generates an order to redo the restoration along with a fine.

We also do a random pavement core test program annually which tests for the correct amount and types of backfill and asphalt layers as well as the proper compaction of all materials. The cost of operating this office with a staff of six is offset by permit fee revenues.

With over 500 miles of City streets in Rochester and around 4,000 utility cut locations annually, the cost if the city were to make these repairs would be astronomical.

- Dave Gavin City of Rochester