SALISBURY — When the Town Creek bridge/culvert collapsed during the Patriots Day storm of 2007, the heavily traveled Bridge Road section of Route 1 and the businesses along it found themselves contending with 4 feet of floodwaters.
That wasn't the first — or last — time there have been problems there during stormy weather. Over the years, trouble with the culvert has cost businesses along the road hundreds of thousands of dollars and has threatened to undermine Route 1, one of the region's main thoroughfares.
On Monday night, Town Meeting will have the opportunity to expedite the replacement of the culvert and prevent future flooding, thanks to nearly $1.2 million in expected federal and state grants.
Article 18 of the warrant requests Town Meeting's authorization to borrow $1.2 million to rebuild the culvert in anticipation of receiving the grant. Once the money is received, the loan would be repaid, but no borrowing would be done until the grants were officially awarded.
Town Creek is a tributary of the Merrimack River running along the west side of Bridge Road. The river, which is tidal in this area, can cause Town Creek to swell during spring's high waters as well as during high ocean tides and storm surges.
The bridge/culvert over Town Creek once carried a spur of the railroad, but it hasn't been an active locomotive line in decades.
During April 2007, Town Creek bridge/culvert collapsed during the storm tide. The town was able to temporarily rebuild it to stop the flooding, using Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster funds to pay for the work. But a permanent fix has been beyond the town's financial capabilities since then, and minor flooding has continued at times.
For the past three years, officials have worked with state and federal legislators to obtain pre-hazard mitigation funding from FEMA, Town Manager Neil Harrington said.
Harrington said it took two tries to get FEMA's approval, but with the help of Congressman John Tierney, the town was able to secure the federal grant that will cover three-quarters of the cost of a final solution to the problem.
Town Creek's flooding history seemed a perfect fit for FEMA's hazard mitigation program, Harrington said.
"If a situation exists that causes chronic flooding — like the Town Creek culvert — it's better to spend the money to fix the problem before the next flood," he said. "That's because it costs more money (for FEMA) to pay for the repairs of damage done by repeated flooding every time it happens than to stop the flooding."
State funds are expected to cover the remaining 25 percent of the cost of the project, said Harrington, who also credited state Sen. Steven Baddour, D-Methuen, and state Rep. Michael Costello, D-Newburyport, in lining up the funding.
Harrington said the Town Creek project was placed in the state's environmental bond bill approved by the Legislature. He's awaiting notice of the execution of the bonding, which is done by Gov. Deval Patrick's office, as well as a formal announcement that the money is on the way.
"We have every reason to believe this will happen," Harrington said. "We have faith in Gov. Patrick."
On the advice of engineers, the project not only includes rebuilding the existing culvert, but also building a second one to better control the waters, he said.
In addition to ending the flooding, officials said the project will have environmental benefits as well. The section of marsh in the area of the culvert is being inundated with phragmites and other invasive vegetation, Harrington said. The project will increase salinization in the salt marsh, preventing the further proliferation of unwanted plant species.
"The project has the support of several environmental agencies because it will enhance the environmental viability of the marsh and improve the habitat for wildlife," he said.
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