FARMINGTON — The town may finally get the Whittier Road erosion problem behind it, according to Town Manager Richard Davis, who gave an update to selectmen on Tuesday.
A design that is acceptable to all agencies involved is finally in place, and it’s ready to go out to bid, he said. Davis expects to have the bids back next week and ready for consideration at the next board meeting on Aug. 13.
Construction could start by the end of August, with the work in the water expected to take nearly 10 days, he said.
“We’re confident this will take place this season,” he said.
The riverbank work needs to be done during the low-water season — July 15 to around Sept. 15, he said.
The rainy summer season challenges the traditional low-water period, he explained.
Along with the pressures to meet the low-water deadline, there is a potential cost increase if clay soil on the bank collapses once the work begins, he said.
The initial plan calls for excavation, wood pilings in the soil with rock, timber and root wads for a total of $262,000.
If the clay soil on the banking caves in as wood pilings are inserted into the soil, they will have to go to Plan B, which includes more rock and timber, raising the project cost by $109,000 to about $371,000, he said.
The town had already invested $76,000 to the project and expects the Federal Emergency Management Agency to contribute $276,000. Any gap in funding caused if the second plan is needed would be up to the town to raise.
One option is to hold a special town meeting to vote on taking the money from the undesignated funds account, he said.
“We’ll cross that bridge … if we get there,” he added.
Davis is trying to get more money out of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as it slowed the process in an effort to make the make the Sandy River more salmon friendly, he said.
A portion of the riverbank, just feet from the Whittier Road, started eroding during tropical storm Irene in August 2011.
The erosion posed a potential collapse of the road, causing town officials to monitor it regularly, post road weight limits and restrict a portion of the road to one-lane traffic.
In July 2012, the town sought help from Maine’s Congressional delegation, asking it to seek a quick resolve from FEMA for the stabilization. It discovered that help was in limbo pending an Endangered Species Act consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the impact of the project to the Sandy River’s salmon habitat.
Town, federal and state agencies agreed in April to pursue a “hybrid” plan that incorporates logs and rocks to stop erosion. The board contracted with the U.S. Forest Service to provide design and construction oversight of the stabilization.
Board members acknowledged and thanked Davis for the extra legwork, numerous conference calls and emails undertaken to resolve the issue during the past two years.
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