LIVERMORE — The paving project on Waters Hill Road is finished and a sinkhole reported last week on the River Road has been addressed, selectpersons learned Monday.
Highway Foreman Roger Ferland said Pike Industries Inc. of Fairfield completed the base coat and shoulder work on Waters Hill Road.
“The shoulder work was half a foot wider than what was specified,” he said. “It came out very nice.”
The paving project was held up in part when the initial bids came in over budget. Voters approved $378,500 for the project at the annual town meeting. Pike lowered its bid from $382,925.20 to $376,849.20 and it was accepted.
All States Materials Group in Windham submitted an initial bid of $414,569. Its revised bid was $384,195.69.
Ferland got a call late last week about a sinkhole in the vicinity of 728 River Road near Mill Pond.
“It was roughly 4 feet deep, went under the road at least 2 feet and was a foot around or bigger,” he said. “The 1940s cement box culvert was plugged with debris. Probably 7 feet of water was backing up. I didn’t want to see an $80,000 to $100,000 culvert go down into the river.”
Select Board Chairman Mark Chretien, however, said the sinkhole was closer to 8 feet deep, and it took 2 yards of gravel to fill it.
“It was something else,” he said. “I’ve never seen something like it.”
Ferland said he rented a large excavator to dig out the area. The road was closed four hours one day and two hours the next to fill in the hole.
Administrative Assistant Amy Byron said someone walking by found the sinkhole and reported it.
Selectperson Scott Richmond said he thought stumps and rocks had been buried there in the past. A beaver dam is some distance away from the culvert.
“If that beaver dam ever let go, you would have issues,” he said. “By Saturday, the water had dropped 7 to 8 feet or more.”
Chretien said the culvert was 12 feet deep with 2 feet of concrete on top of it.
Richmond suggested Ferland keep an eye on the culvert.
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