GLOSTER &045; Driving on small town streets can sometimes seem like running the Baja 500. But thanks to some yearly planning for street maintenance, there are far fewer potholes for motorists to dodge in Gloster.

&uot;It’s just something that you have to bite the bullet and do,&uot; said Gloster Mayor Bill Adams, who budgets from $50,000 to $70,000 yearly for street overlays.

&uot;We try to anticipate our revenues. The amount we are able to budget for streets varies each year,&uot; he said.

Gloster aldermen took bids on the road work and awarded this year’s overlay project to Hattiesburg-based W.A. Warren Construction, Inc.

On Tuesday, the company’s asphalt crews were busy spreading a fresh layer of pavement along Pearl Street.

Adams said approximately two miles of overlay is called for in the current project, which includes portions of Tate, Third, Natchez and Walnut streets.

&uot;You never really get through with it.

Once you get cracks in the pavement, and they start catching water, it’s not long before you’re going to have problems again,&uot; he said.

Utility repairs can also necessitate digging for gas, water and sewer lines buried beneath roads &045; sometimes on streets that are in good condition.

But small towns are virtually on their own when it comes to funding for street repairs, said Adams.

&uot;It’s nearly impossible to get any grant money for streets.

We pay for it out of our general fund,&uot; he said.

Jeanie Smith, executive director of the Mississippi Municipal League, said local street repair projects are given a low priority at the federal funding level.

&uot;The federal government views street repair as an on-going maintenance issue.

Even though some street projects would seem to qualify, the competition would be so great that most towns still would not get any help,&uot; said Smith.