Road widening and bridge replacement tied to Crofton Muse estimated at roughly $5.5M; residents ask who will pay long-term maintenance

The infrastructure components tied to the Crofton Muse/Elbow Creek project include a widened access on Route 9G, a new bridge/culvert over Crum Elbow Creek and conversion of a gravel road to meet town code. Meeting participants discussed both immediate construction and long-term maintenance obligations.

Sarah Lee and O'Neil Group representatives described the proposed scope: the developer would finance construction (including a bank loan estimated on the record at about $3,900,000) and seek state reimbursement through the CFA for up to $1,000,000. The supervisor and staff emphasized that some road segments are state-owned and that maintenance responsibility will depend on ownership and applicable agreements; one figure discussed in the meeting for the overall improvement package was about $5,500,000.

Residents repeatedly asked who would pay for future upkeep once the town assumed responsibility for new roads and bridges. "We will end up paying that road and bridge over for maintenance for now until the end of time," one board member said, noting the town could inherit long-term costs if it takes over newly built infrastructure. Presenters argued that building the improvements now — and securing state funds — could avoid much larger future replacement costs and mitigate flooding in certain locations; one resident observed that fixing the culvert at a single spot would alleviate recent flooding upstream.

If the grant is awarded, state disbursement rules and project-specific agreements will govern reimbursement, prevailing-wage compliance, MWBE/SDVOB participation and reporting; town staff said they would review engineering reports and inspect work as part of project oversight.