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Marlborough officials plan warrant article to fund Upper Bypass stormwater project along Church Street
Summary
Town leaders said they will seek voter approval at the 2026 Town Meeting to borrow through state revolving funds to build a 60" stormwater bypass under Route 101, which would require relocating water and sewer lines and may prompt a full water-main replacement on Church Street.
Town Administrator Ellen Smith updated the Marlborough Board of Selectmen on plans for a Downtown Stormwater Project that the board intends to present to voters as a warrant article at the 2026 Town Meeting.
Smith said cost estimates are being developed after a Nov. 20, 2025 check-in with engineering consultant DuBois & King and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES). The proposed "Upper Bypass" would install a 60-inch stormwater pipe along Church Street, cross under Route 101 and discharge to Minnewawa Brook. To construct the bypass, a portion of the town’s water main would need to be relocated and several sewer service lines would likely be moved, Smith told the board.
The board discussed whether to replace the entire water main along Church Street—installed in 1951—while the road is open, and whether to rebuild the roadway and add proper sidewalks. Smith said the town plans to ask voters to authorize borrowing through the NHDES Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and possibly through the NH Municipal Bond Bank to cover the work. A Dec. 16, 2025 check-in with NHDES Drinking Water program representatives was scheduled to discuss funding, and a mid-project meeting will be set in January, Smith said.
The board did not adopt final designs or a borrowing amount at the meeting; Smith said cost estimates are still being calculated. The next steps are completing estimates, finalizing the warrant language and presenting the proposal to voters at the 2026 Town Meeting.
If approved by voters, the project would require coordination with utilities to relocate mains and service lines and with state agencies overseeing Clean Water and Drinking Water funding.
