Town of Dover Awarded Grant for Design of Culvert Replacement
Town Administrator Michael Blanchard is pleased to share that the Town of Dover recently received a grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development to help complete the design work for a culvert replacement project.
The Wilsondale Street Culvert Replacement Design will be funded through the state’s Rural Development Fund, based on an application submitted to the Executive Office of Economic Development earlier this year. The design work is estimated to cost $89,000, with the Rural Development Fund grant covering $40,000.
“The goal is to engineer a safe, successful project to replace the Wilsondale Street culvert structure, which was a recommendation in the Town of Dover Hazard Mitigation Plan,” said Kevin McCabe, Dover’s director of public works. “The culvert continues to safely channel water under the road as part of Powissett Brook. But it is now reaching the end of its service life.”
The new culvert structure would be designed for a minimum 75-year service life, in accordance with the Massachusetts Stream Crossing Standards issued by the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game's Division of Ecological Restoration.
In addition to eliminating concerns about potential culvert failure and the environmental impacts associated with that, the project will also address roadway stability concerns while limiting maintenance costs and the need for repairs
The project is expected to start with field investigation and data collection in December and continue into January. It will then be followed by design services from February through June next year and environmental permitting from May through July.
The field investigation work and data collection as part of this culvert design project will include resource area delineation, right-of-way and topographic field survey, and geotechnical subsurface investigation. The portion will entail a drainage study and the creation of a hydraulic model, along with the preparation of bid-ready plans, specifications, and a cost estimate for constructing a new culvert.
The environmental permitting work will involve a U.S. Wetland Protection Act Notice of Intent, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers General Permit, approval from the Dover Conservation Commission, the Dover Planning Board Scenic Road Regulation, and the Board of Appeals.
“The culvert designed through this project is being engineered to be a safe, reliable crossing for many years to come,” Town Administrator Blanchard said. “I'd like to acknowledge Director of Public Works Kevin McCabe for his efforts to seek and obtain this grant funding in order to offset the cost of this important design work.”