On this half-mile stretch, Route 27 is hardly heaven

A short stretch of road has turned into a longstanding pain for residents of three towns.The section of Route 27 in question is in East Bridgewater, but is also close to Hanson and Whitman. The stretch intersects with Route 14 and runs for about a half-mile, toward the new Whitman-Hanson Regional High School.

The road is a mess. It is pot-holed, and for some motorists has proved a bone-jarring exercise in separating a vehicle's suspension from its chassis.

''The road has so many potholes it is unbearable," Cheryl Hurley complained in an e-mail recently. ''Now there are ruts along the sides. Most people drive down the middle of the road to try to avoid the bumps. We have lived here 28 years, and I do not ever remember the road being paved. The other roads in East Bridgewater seem to be in great shape. I have e-mailed the Town of East Bridgewater and the state Highway Department and received no response."

Hurley is not the only one to have complained, said Karen Grabau, administrative assistant to the East Bridgewater Board of Selectmen.

''I get calls on this all the time," she said.

The state responds

There is good news. Jonathan Carlisle, spokesman for the Executive Office of Transportation, said the state plans to begin spending $2.1 million to repair the road this spring, with the work expected to be completed by July 2007.

The stretch is actually a local road, so the town did the design work, while the state will do the work, Carlisle said.

MATT CARROLL

WHO'S RESPONSIBLE?

Executive Office of Transportation
Jonathan M. Carlisle
Spokesman
617-973-7000