BY PAUL MITCHELL
North Country This Week

CANTON – Three sections of town roads have been designed for paving. But with the escalating price of asphalt, town officials are not certain the entire stretches of roads can be completed.

At Wednesday night’s monthly meeting, the town board approved road work on the Pyrites Russell Road, Pink School House Road and the Crusher Road at a total cost of $539,857. The town has budgeted $550,000 for road repairs.

But according to Town Highway Superintendent Steven Smith the driving force behind this year’s road work is the cost of asphalt.

“It’s going to be an expensive year,” said Smith.

He said the price of asphalt in March was $48.31 per ton; this month the price has jumped to $68 to $70 per ton and the June figure is expected to be even higher.

Councilmen James Smith and Bob Washo both addressed the inevitable.

“You have to spend what you budgeted. It just doesn’t get you as far as you wanted,” Jim Smith remarked.

“It may get to the point where there is no paving,” said Washo.

The town road repairs resolution included the installation of pipes along sections of the Irish Settlement Road to alleviate flooding issues.