Milton water project hits the Atlantics

The Town of Milton’s ongoing water main replacement project has landed in the Atlantics: Atlantic Avenue and Atlantic Street.

The construction is part of a $1.67 million project aimed at replacing water mains on Chestnut Street, Atlantic Avenue and Atlantic Street. The town has already replaced a section of 6-inch main on Chestnut Street between Front Street and Coulter Street with an 8-inch main. The next portion of the project is replacing a 4-inch water main on Atlantic Avenue with a 10-inch main, and upgrading a section from Atlantic Street to Cave Neck Road from a 6-inch main to a 12-inch main.

Town Manager Kristy Rogers said work on Atlantic Avenue should be completed in the next few weeks, and work on Atlantic Street is getting underway. She said the project should be completed by the end of March.

Funding for the project, provided by the state Water Infrastructure Advisory Council, was approved by town voters in a January 2021 referendum by a vote of 341-4. The project is intended to address frequent leaks and breaks, improve flow, and remove lead contamination from the project area. 

The measure was largely uncontroversial because the town is receiving extremely generous loan terms: 100 percent loan forgiveness at the project’s completion, with the town only having to make $16,700 in interest payments during the construction period. Funds for the interest payments will come from the town’s transfer tax reserves. Because the project funding is technically a loan and not a grant, town code required a referendum in order to approve borrowing the money. 

The project was expected to be completed in fall 2021, but supply chain delays caused contractor ECM Corporation to ask Milton Town Council for an extension in December. Council set a new deadline of Thursday, March 31, to complete the project.