For the third straight year, Water Street will be dug up and traffic detoured, this time because the new sewer line that was thought to be completed last year needs repair. It’s the latest in a series of setbacks and complications that have plagued the costly project.

Town officials say part of the new line has settled, creating a nearly flat section of pipe. That’s a problem for a gravity-based sewer line that requires a proper pitch to keep waste flowing downhill.

“Since the sewer line went into service last year, we have been evaluating the as-built information and we have determined there is some defective work that Northern Construction needs to come back and repair,” Plymouth DPW Director William Coyle told the Select Board on Tuesday night. 

After the presentation to the board, Coyle told the Independent that measurements indicate a section of the sewer pipe, and a manhole, have dropped about five inches below the design specification. The area in question runs from just south of the rotary near the visitors center along Water Street to in front of Mamma Mia’s restaurant.

Plymouth DPW Director William Coyle told the Select Board that the sewer line settling means the work is “not in compliance with the design” of the project. Credit: (The Local Seen)

So far, the sewer line is still working Coyle said, “and we are confident the pipe is not settling anymore. But we can’t accept it as is. It’s not in compliance with the design.”

Northern Construction of Palmer won the contract in 2022 to install a quarter-mile section of 30-inch sewer pipe under Water Street to replace the 1960s vintage sewer line that runs under the edge of the harbor. There were concerns that if the old line beneath the harbor were to malfunction it would create an environmental hazard and be difficult to repair.

Select Board member Charlie Bletzer asked when work would start and how long it would last, saying he was concerned about the impact on Water Street businesses that in recent years faced months of disruptions because of the project.

Ziad Kary, regional manager at Apex (formerly Environmental Partners) the engineering firm hired by the town to design and oversee the sewer project, told Bletzer that the town is awaiting a schedule and detailed work plan from Northern Construction.

“We had hoped they would mobilize by the end of February, and have it wrapped up by May, but we don’t know at this time,” Kary said. The timing is important because spring marks the start of the busiest time of year for businesses along Water Street.

In general, Kary expects the impact on Water Street will be similar to the first round of construction, with the street reduced to one lane of traffic in the work zone and a staging area established in part of the Memorial Hall parking lot.

Select Board member David Golden brought up the money question, asking who would pay for the repair. Kary said the town held back $1.6 million from Northern Construction last year, pending the post-construction inspection period, to cover potential issues like the settlement defect. Kary said his team estimates that will be enough to cover the repairs and the final paving of the street.

“We have communicated with Northern Construction that the money would be released when this project is fixed,” Kary said.

During the repair work, sewage will be redirected through the old pipe, which remains under the harbor.

Work on replacing the sewer line began in December 2022 and was supposed to be finished by the end of June 2023. But in March 2023, groundwater problems, shifting soil, and damage to the street, sidewalks, and five buildings on Water and Chilton streets forced a shutdown of the project so engineers could evaluate the situation. It was that first section of the pipe installed that has settled.

After the March 2023 incident, additional groundwater monitoring and relief wells were placed within the working trench to prevent further damage. With those changes, the project resumed briefly in 2023 but was shut down in June for the benefit of the tourist season, which was already underway.

Construction started up again in early 2024 and was completed without further apparent problems. The new line started carrying sewage last spring and a regular series of inspections were begun to monitor the performance of the line.

Throughout the starts and stops, Northern Construction claimed the original cost of the project had doubled to $9 million. The town ultimately settled with the company, agreeing to pay an additional $2 million above the original $4.5 million price tag.

“This work was an inconvenience, but it had to be done,” Bletzer said. “If this didn’t get fixed and that (old line) burst, it would have been a disaster for the whole waterfront.”

Michael Cohen can be reached at michael@plymouthindependent.org.

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