A town engineering representative detailed designs to replace deteriorating culverts on Whitten Road during the Jan. 9 meeting of Milford Boards & Committees of Selectmen.

The presenter said the project would remove two failing 36-inch pipes and install an open-bottom box culvert about 8 feet wide, 3 feet high and approximately 42 feet long to maintain the roadway profile. “It's currently 2 36 inch pipes, that are deteriorating in bad condition,” the presenter said, and the new structure is intended as the replacement.

Because the stream next to the work area is adjacent to species listed as threatened or endangered, the presenter said Fish and Game reviewed draft plans and required the project be treated as a tier-1 stream under their guidance if the town follows specified measures. Those measures include timing restrictions on in-water work, monitoring and reporting protocols, dewatering and cofferdam procedures, erosion- and sediment-control measures and specifying riprap fill so turtles can cross. The presenter said Fish and Game recommended installing about 3-foot-high turtle fencing to guide turtles into the culvert and away from the road.

On construction logistics, the presenter said the work would require dewatering the immediate work area, using sandbag cofferdams with pumps and hoses, and diverting flow around the road so there would be no through-flow in the work zone. He added the road would be closed during construction and the town is “hoping it doesn't take more than a couple of weeks,” although the transcript records that the presenter and board members noted schedule risk if conditions are wet or if required approvals delay start dates.

Board members asked whether the new culvert was sized to handle larger storms and changing climate patterns. The presenter said he followed Department of Environmental Services (DES) design-storm protocols; “the answer is we don't know, but I am following their current [design] guidance,” he said, adding that DES allowed a like-for-like hydraulic replacement given the site's history and lack of documented overtopping.

Plans are currently draft; the presenter said he will file a wetlands permit with DES and that the Fish and Game comments guided the approach. He said tentative plans are available in his office and that Fish and Game has already reviewed the versions presented. Board members asked that any public copies be clearly marked “DRAFT” with revision dates.

The project will temporarily affect wetlands within about 20 feet of the proposed culvert location for access and construction space, the presenter said. He said the town will seek to minimize impacts and will follow the monitoring and reporting requirements in the Fish and Game guidance during the work.

No formal vote or final authorization was recorded in the transcript. Board members accepted the presentation and requested the presenter provide finalized plans and to coordinate further with Fish and Game and DES before construction.