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South Berwick schedules Emery’s Road culvert replacement; cost estimate $279,000
Summary
Public works staff told the Town Council the failing culvert on Emery’s Road requires excavation and a larger pipe; the town estimates $279,000 for materials, engineering and equipment and aims to finish by Aug. 1.
South Berwick public works staff told the Town Council on May 13 that a failing culvert on Emery’s Road will be replaced this summer and is budgeted at about $279,000.
The council heard that engineers determined the old pipe was undersized and close to the streambed; the plan calls for a larger pipe, new bedding and 300 feet of road reclamation on both approaches. Jay (public works staff) told the council the culvert portion is priced at $67,000, the engineering is about $35,000 and added items — gravel, guardrail, dewatering equipment and equipment rental — bring the total to about $279,000. “That brings us to a total of $279,000,” Jay said.
The town issued the engineering survey after a previous temporary fix failed sooner than expected, the presentation said. Work will include removing temporary steel plates and guardrail, installing dewatering bags and excavating to provide two feet of cover over the new pipe instead of the roughly one foot that existed. The new pipe segment described to the council is substantially larger than the old section.
Council members and public works staff discussed funding sources and the town’s capital improvement program. Public works said the expense will be taken from this fiscal year’s CIP balance and that contracting the job out could cost $400,000–$600,000, based on an estimate from an outside contractor. Staff recommended performing the work now rather than risking additional failures elsewhere in town.
Public works estimated construction could start in May and last four to six weeks; the contractor and staff said they hope to have the project completed by Aug. 1. Councilors asked about traffic impacts and signage for road closures and were told the town will post clear “Road Closed” signage and manage detours during work.
No formal vote was required; the council treated the presentation as an informational update and direction to proceed with the planned repair using funds in the town’s CIP account.
