Estabrook Road deemed too hazardous for Grafton school buses — what now?

Ray Loughan is worried about his little brother — enough to not only count the potholes on his street but also to stand up in front of the Select Board to ask for help.

“I don’t know exactly what the solution is,” said Loughan, 17, a senior at Grafton High School who lives on Estabrook Road. “I just want the road drivable and it’s safe for him.”

Back in November, the 11-year-old was riding the bus to school when it was forced to go off the road by a passing garbage truck. Estabrook is exceptionally narrow in portions, with some of the roadway eroded away, and there just wasn’t enough room for two large vehicles.

“The bus ended up falling in a ditch,” Loughan told the Select Board during the public comment portion of the meeting Tuesday. “They had to call for another bus because it couldn’t get out.”

Since then, the bus company determined that Estabrook was too dangerous for its buses and the brother has had to walk to a new bus stop at the end of the street, about a half mile, Loughan said. While this protects the bus, it just makes life more hazardous for his brother, who now has to hop off the road — or climb onto a snowbank —to avoid frequently speeding traffic himself.

Loughan said his parents approached the Department of Public Works about the matter, but the road is not on the list for immediate future repair. He took a walk down the street and counted 209 potholes on the road.

“It’s just a horrible road and it would be very expensive,” Town Administrator Tim McInerney said.

The Select Board agreed to look into the issue further. 

Why did Loughan choose to come before the board himself? He was complaining about the problem in his business class with Jeff Maxwell, who suggested that he should email the town about it.

“I’ve actually been impressed by how quickly they got back to me,” Loughan said.

For now, Loughan tries to pick up his brother at his bus stop when he own after school activities don’t conflict.