You may recall that the water main near Rte 9 caused nightmares for Public Works, commuters and residents over the past two winters. It’s the reason behind the Town’s work along Route 9 this year.
The project to replace the water main was timed to coincide with state work on the highway. Publicly the work seemed to be on track with pipe laying reported as “to be completed” around November 26th. The main work was to be done before winter with the final steps finished in conjunction with the state this spring.
But according to an article by Southborough Wicked Local, the project hit a bump when the Town sought easements to two abutting residential properties. Fortunately, it seems the Town reached an agreement with owners.
An agreement for easements was apparently ratified last Tuesday night by the Board of Selectmen, allowing the work to continue. (I assume that’s thanks to a mild December.)
On November 13th, the Town posted news under Project Updates on the website that was still up as of this morning:
The Route 9 water main replacement is complete on the westbound side between Pleasant and Central streets. The Brook Lane main has been tapped, and the contractor is moving west on the eastbound side. They will move to Oak Hill soon, and then head east toward Brook Lane next week. The contractor should be out of the MassDOT right-of-way within the next two weeks and then will be connecting the water main sections along the shoulders of the road. That process should be complete this year. It is anticipated that the project will shut down for the winter on or about November 25, and then resume in March/April 2016. The work is scheduled to be completed early next summer, at which time that section of Route 9 is to be paved by MassDOT.
But the December 18th SWL article tells a different story:
Contractors are now working to complete a section of the Rte. 9 water main replacement project before winter sets in, after an agreement was reached between the town and a property owner.
The town has reached a deal with the owners of 70 and 72 Turnpike Road for an easement to avoid laying the new pipe under the roadway. Selectmen approved the deal Tuesday night, which includes restoration of the property.
“The new main layout was designed to keep the water main in the shoulder of the MassDOT right-of-way and out of the travel lanes wherever possible,” wrote Public Works Superintendent Karen Galligan, in a memo to selectmen. . .
“The owner of the properties has agreed to grant the town a utility easement for the water main in exchange for restoring the property and performing the improvements outlined in the easement,” Galligan wrote.
For more details, see the full SWL story. For a look at the memo and agreement, click here.
