MassDOT Receives National Award for Excellence in Pavement Preservation

01:43PM / Sunday, May 24, 2026Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing that the agency's Highway Division is being awarded the Northeast Pavement Preservation Partnership's Jim Sorenson Award in recognition of its leadership and long-term commitment to pavement preservation and reducing the need for costly resurfacing.

The Sorenson Award is a national honor that recognizes agencies for excellence in preserving pavement assets through innovative, cost-effective, and sustainable treatments. MassDOT's program was selected for its long-term application of preservation principles across all classes of highways and for its success in keeping roadways in good repair using a variety of preservation techniques.

The award is being presented at the Northeast Pavement Preservation Partnership Conference to be held May 5 – 7 in Springfield. ?Cody Holemo, MassDOT's Pavement Preservation Engineer, will accept on behalf of the agency.

"This award is a testament to the outstanding work happening at MassDOT every day," said Governor Maura Healey. "Our administration has taken a proactive approach to maintaining our roads, saving taxpayers money and reducing disruptions for drivers. We're proud to be recognized as a national leader in pavement preservation and will keep making the investments needed to deliver safer, more reliable infrastructure for communities across Massachusetts."

As background, MassDOT formally established its pavement preservation program in 2005 within the Highway Division's Pavement Management Section. This was preceded by decades of research and implementation in areas such as microsurfacing, diamond grinding, polymer-modified thin overlays, and ultrathin bonded wearing courses. The program is a key part of the Department's maintenance strategy which emphasizes early intervention to extend pavement life and stretch taxpayer dollars.

Factors that weighed on the award decision included MassDOT's long-term commitment to pavement preservation and the Northeast Pavement Preservation Partnership. The agency was an early adopter of a centralized pavement condition database and pavement management system that supports data-driven decisions. In addition, it was a founding member of the Northeast Pavement Preservation Partnership and hosted the first NEPPP meeting in 2006.

MassDOT has also participated in national initiatives such as SHRP2-R26 and FHWA Every Day Counts. In 2021, the agency launched the Municipal Paving Program to bring preservation resources to municipally owned state-numbered roadways.

MassDOT routinely applies a wide range of preservation and recycling treatments tailored to pavement conditions and context. Treatments include:

Crack sealing using multiple materials and mastics
Fog seals and rejuvenators including plant-based and specialty formulations
Chip seals with emulsion and hot-applied asphalt rubber
Microsurfacing in conventional and high-performance formulations
Ultrathin bonded overlays in conventional, polymer-modified, and asphalt rubber variants
Hot in-place recycling
Cold in-place recycling with emulsion and foamed asphalt
Thin HMA overlays with diverse mix designs, high RAP content, and performance modifiers

Beyond these treatments, MassDOT continues to pilot and adopt innovations such as varied milling techniques, surface texture applications, void-reducing asphalt membranes, and expanded use of spray pavers.

Overall, the preservation program has brought significant value to the taxpayer through reduced lifecycle costs, minimized delays during treatments, and decreased the frequency of needed major roadway reconstruction.

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Free Vaccinations Available Throughout Berkshire County

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
10:30AM / Saturday, October 10, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fall season is also the flu season, which means vaccine clinics are now available.

The Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative will provide public vaccination clinics in Berkshire communities this fall, including the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines. There are about 49 clinics.

The collaborative began during COVID-19 to help vaccinate people across Berkshire County. Berkshire Health Systems started the Get Vaccinated Berkshires website and still manages it. The group works with the Pittsfield Public Health Department, Community Health Programs, and the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative.

"The majority of people will always get the flu [vaccine] because, as I said, if you've ever gotten the flu, you will always get a flu vaccine because it's so bad. And just so you know, the flu is already in Berkshire County. It's an early season this year," said Leslie Drager, who is the senior public health nurse at Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.

Drager said last year they issued 2,705 vaccines, with more than 1,100 of them being for COVID-19 and more than 1,500 being flu. In total, they were able to vaccinate 1,669 people in Central and North County, in addition to Pittsfield.

Drager also said she will be carrying three types of COVID vaccines this year, which is in high demand.

"We have a high demand of COVID vaccine, which is awesome," she said. "So we're doing a lot of COVID vaccines. Also, I provide Pfizer, and this year I have Moderna and the Novavax, which I think is real important to get out there because the Novavax, a lot of people want, people with long COVID. So I'm carrying all three vaccines this year, which I normally only carry the Pfizer."

Public health departments also can help people access other vaccines such as for measles or meningitis when they cannot get them through a pediatrician, she added.

Using the website, people are able to get vaccines even if they are homebound by filling out a form.

All public Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative clinics are free of charge, but registrants are asked to provide insurance information, when available, in order to defray costs. The clinics are open to anyone 6 months of age or older, the age group recommended to receive an annual flu vaccine and the latest COVID-19 vaccine.

"I always encourage everybody to wear a short sleeve shirt because it makes it a heck of a lot easier to get at," Drager said. "And children, we do carry the nasal flu, the live virus of nasal flu for kids that are afraid to get needles."

Registration is highly recommended for the clinics. Walk-ins may be accepted depending on the number of vaccine doses available at each clinic, with preference given to those who are registered.

"It's really important. I'm really encouraging vaccinations for the schools, because not only you know if the kids are vaccinated and the teachers are vaccinated, the schools won't have the flu go wild right through it," Drager said. "And of course, the best way to prevent infections: washing your hands. So don't touch your face, and wash your hands."

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