WENDELL — Despite undergoing a $680,000 replacement over the summer, the culvert on Mormon Hollow Road is in need of immediate repairs following heavy rain.

“The first heavy rain we got washed out the streambed,” said Road Commission Chair Phil Delorey. “That placed the actual construction at risk.”

The culvert replacement project, which closed the road from late July through early November, was engineered in 2019, Delorey said previously. The town had been waiting for money to fund the project, which came in the form of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Chapter 90 and storm damage relief funds. The project was initiated last summer by Clayton D. Davenport contractor crews because of the culvert’s continued deterioration. Workers tore up more than 60 feet of road to replace the culvert, which was nearly 30 feet below the roadway.

Since repair work wrapped up and the road reopened, however, the soil has shifted dramatically, Delorey said. He said construction workers will need to lay concrete and place stones reconstructing the streambed — work that is expected to cost about $80,000.

“There is a lot of intense labor needed to reconstruct the streambed,” Delorey said.

Following guidance from an engineering company and Selectboard approval, construction will take place as soon as possible. Delorey said if there is more inclement weather it could put the culvert at further risk of failure.

“The weather is holding up right now,” he said.

According to Delorey, it is currently unclear who is at fault for the problems with the culvert. SVE Associates, an engineering and landscape architecture firm from Brattleboro, Vermont, and Clayton D. Davenport workers are collaborating to solve the problem.

“There is disagreement about why the culvert failed,” Delorey said. He said there may need to be a larger discussion with all parties in the future, but the task at hand is fixing the culvert immediately.

The Selectboard will hold a meeting on Friday at 3 p.m. to authorize emergency funding for the culvert repairs.

“It is important the work begins as soon as possible,” said Town Coordinator Glenn Johnson-Mussad.

Bella Levavi can be reached at blevavi@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.

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