State-funded reconstruction project on Beach Road Vineyard Haven drags on.
Mark Alan Lovewell

Engineering Snags, Mounting Costs Plague Beach Road Project

As new design and engineering plans take shape for the state-funded reconstruction project on Beach Road, town officials bristled this week at the prospect of added costs.

As new design and engineering plans take shape for the state-funded reconstruction project on Beach Road, town officials bristled this week at the prospect of added costs and a delayed construction timetable.

At a meeting of the select board Tuesday, town administrator Jay Grande expounded on the issues while sharing updates from the town’s bi-weekly meeting with the state earlier that day.

“The fact that the wastewater is still a question in MassDOT’s mind as to who’s paying for it is a big concern,” Mr. Grande said.

The $6 million project to reconstruct a half-mile spit of road between Five Corners and Wind’s Up, including a renovation of the aging subsurface infrastructure, hit snags in February when utility work revealed unforeseen conflicts with the engineering plans and existing infrastructure.

The issues have forced the state to rework design plans. The town has also hired the consulting firm Environmental Partners to monitor the project.

On Tuesday Mr. Grande said the state had recently proposed a bypass of the municipal water line, which would eliminate a number of the previous utility conflicts. But now conflicts with the proposed drainage design and the town’s existing sewer main are kicking up new issues with the project.

Some of the concern centers on materials used in the town wastewater installation, according to Mr. Grande.

But who will pay for any needed adjustments is a growing point of contention.

“At this point, they have not made any commitment to fund the revisions to the wastewater line and I’m very concerned about that position, as you can imagine,” Mr. Grande told the selectmen Tuesday. “If not for this construction project, we wouldn’t be making these changes.”

Specific costs also are not yet clear.

“The total cost of revisions are not known at this time but we anticipate that the cost will increase due to the additional relocation of water main,” said Judith Riley, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, in an email to the Gazette last week.

Mr. Grande said Tuesday the proposed changes to the sewer line could cost $1 or $2 million.

He also reported that construction, due to begin this month, has been delayed until April.

In a letter to MassHighway last week, town counsel Dave Doneski echoed the town concerns and urged a speedy resolution to the problems.

“There are no less than four engineering firms that have weighed in on this project,” Mr. Grande said, speaking about correspondences.

Selectmen voiced their continued dismay at the hiccups. “All I can say is in my personal opinion, someone at DOT didn’t do their homework,” chairman Jim Rogers said.

Meanwhile, at the recommendation of their consultant, Mr. Grande said the town has requested certain road improvements and project additions of their own, including a drainage outfall pipe to the harbor and the replacement of subsurface tanks at the Citgo gas station.

A more recent suggestion from another of the town’s consulting engineers, Applied Coastal, proposed elevating a portion of the road near Five Corners to improve coastal resiliency and minimize flooding in the area.

Selectmen voted unanimously to send a letter to the state advocating for the elevation to be added to the project before construction breaks ground.

Mr. Grande expressed frustration at the new snags and cost inflations, but said he hoped the town concerns would be heard.

“I’m hopeful that the new information on the wastewater line issues will persuade them that they need to be funding the changes,” he said.

In other business Tuesday, selectmen approved the first phase of a three-part renovation project at Owen Park. The project aims to improve ADA access to the park and add new landscaping.

The first-phase work is expected to be completed by Memorial Day.

Selectmen also voted to approve a partnership between the Vineyard Haven cultural district and the business district, which will grow into an umbrella organization called Visit Vineyard Haven.

Comments

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 03/11/2021 - 11:36

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Kenny Islander

“All I can say is in my personal opinion, someone at DOT didn’t do their homework,” chairman Jim Rogers said. Well, in my personal opinion very few leaders in Tisbury do THEIR homework. The pot is calling the kettle black.

Mark VH

No kidding. No one has done their homework, which is exactly why this project is in this predicament. As to getting the first phase of the project completed by Memorial Day, not a chance that will happen.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 03/11/2021 - 17:47

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R Scott Patterson Edgartown

Investing millions and millions of dollars in a project that will be underwater in 20-30 years is just mind numbingly stupid.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 03/11/2021 - 18:16

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Frank Brunelle Vineyard Haven

Interesting that no one ever is concerned about paving over live plants and trees with asphalt when we know climate is changing so drastically that if we do not reach a carbon neutral economy by 2030 we face extinction. Never has any selectman recommended a full study or DRI on the project and the present plan fails all safety advisories. Also interesting is that nothing is mentioned about the boulders placed to stop erosion on a portion of the barrier beach and how will Mass DOT get a 43 foot wide road in a 36 foot wide space.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 03/11/2021 - 21:22

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RM Tisbury

Our town has one of the lowest tax rates in the state. Maybe if we’d paid a little more in the past we wouldn’t have wastewater pipes that are deficient. What other short cuts has our town taken? Can’t we do anything right except keeping taxes (too) low?

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