Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz is flanked by Commissioner of Public Works John Loffredo and engineering consultants for the Hopkins Road project as he discusses the $2.8 million reconstruction project; views of the newly-reconstructed Hopkins Road near Smith Road.

$2.8 Million Project Stabilizes Roadway, Embankment; Includes New Drainage System on Hopkins, Smith Roads

ERIE COUNTY, NY—Today, Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz was joined by Erie County Commissioner of Public Works John Loffredo to review the newly-reconstructed Hopkins Road in Amherst. The section of Hopkins from Smith Road to Tonawanda Creek Road had been limited to one lane of traffic for several years due to soil instability and a subsequently failing roadway, causing inconvenience for residents and motorists using the road. Now, a $2.8 million reconstruction and stabilization project that involved the rehabilitation (mill and overlay) or full reconstruction of approximately 2,750 linear feet of Hopkins Road and approximately 200 linear feet of Smith Road is near completion, with only minor work remaining.

“The reconstruction of Hopkins Road once again demonstrates my administration’s commitment to providing residents with the best roads possible, and I thank Commissioner Loffredo, his team, and our contractors for their hard work in getting this project done,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “Full usage of this road has been restored by this project, removing the daily inconveniences that had been encountered by motorists who travel this route daily and improving sightlines and drainage. Hopkins Road is one of the over 2,400 lane miles of road Erie County has in its inventory, and we continue to work to maintain and improve all of them.”

Work began on the project on April 22, 2014 with only minor tasks remaining. Included in the reconstruction/rehabilitation was installation of a new closed drainage system along the subject section of Hopkins Road, the installation of new closed drainage along 1,000 linear feet of Smith Road, installation of several new cross culverts, streambank, and roadway embankment reconstruction that included specialized work for both soil stabilization and embankment reinforcement.

The contractor for the Hopkins Road project was Visone Construction, Inc., while engineering consultants were Greenman Pedersen, Inc., in conjunction with McMahon & Mann Consulting Engineers.