Norwich ― If the proposed reconstruction of Route 82 goes forward, the question of who would pay the millions of dollars needed to relocate and upgrade utility lines depends on several factors, state project officials told the City Council this week.

Among the many concerns voiced by Norwich Mayor Peter Nystrom, a staunch opponent of the project, was the potential cost of upgrading underground Norwich Public Utilities water, sewer and natural gas lines. The reconstruction project runs 1.3 miles from an area west of the New London Turnpike intersection to Fairmount Street, with six proposed roundabouts, a median divider and single lanes of traffic in each direction.

Scott Bushee, project manager for the state Department of Transportation, told the City Council Tuesday that the cost of the work would vary, depending on the specific utility. While the DOT would be responsible for the entire cost of relocating all current Norwich utility infrastructure that are impacted by the work, the city would pay for additional work such as placing electrical lines underground or replacing old water and sewer lines that could be damaged by the project.

For electricity, Bushee said the DOT would pay the entire cost of relocating NPU power lines and poles along the 1.3-mile length of the project. For privately owned lines and poles, such as telephone, cable TV or private electric companies, DOT typically pays half the cost of relocation, per agreements that allow the utilities free use of state property for their infrastructure, Bushee said.

If the city wishes to place the electric lines underground the length of the project, Norwich Public Utilities would pay for the difference between the cost of relocating above-ground lines and the cost to bury the lines.

According to a financial report compiled by city Comptroller Josh Pothier, moving the lines underground would cost an estimated $10.6 million, while relocating lines above ground was estimated at $2.8 million, putting the city utility’s cost at $7.8 million if the city chooses that option.

Pothier reported that the Route 82 project would escalate NPU’s schedule of planned upgrades to water, sewer and gas lines in the area. Vibrations from heavy construction and possible regrading of the road in spots is expected to impact the underground lines.

Water lines in the area are more than 100 years old and are “highly brittle,” according to Pothier’s report. NPU had planned to replace the lines in five to 10 years but would need to escalate that work if the DOT project starts construction in spring of 2025. NPU has estimated the cost of replacing the water line at $8 million.

Days after Nystrom expressed concern about the aging water lines during a public informational meeting on the project, a nearly 100-year-old water main broke on June 27 at the Route 82-Osgood Street intersection, where one roundabout is proposed. Repair work closed Route 82 for several hours.

“We all saw it. We all know it. We know how old it is. We know how sensitive it is,” Bushee told the City Council Tuesday.

Bushee said the DOT would do a drainage study along the length of the project to determine how much of the project would impact water lines and would discuss with NPU officials how close the project would come to the lines along with their concerns about vibrations and potential breaks.

“Hopefully some kind of a partnership is discussed at that point,” Bushee said. “The state doesn’t want to rebuild a road and have it torn up two years later or piecemealed later to have little pieces of water main replaced. That’s certainly not in anyone’s best interest.”

He said there is no cost sharing estimates for the water line at this point, because final design and state construction plans with those calculations won’t be done until next winter or spring. The drainage study would reveal how much of the water line should be replaced by DOT with the project and how much money the city would have to contribute and whether the two parties can reach a cost-sharing partnership.

Any situations where the DOT project would directly require relocation or replacement of a utility main, the DOT would pay 100% of the cost, Bushee said.

The city’s sewer lines along Route 82 are 30 to 50 years old, and without the project, NPU had planned to re-line or replace the mains in 10 to 20 years at an estimated cost of $3.5 million. Natural gas lines also could wait 10 to 20 years without the proposed Route 82 construction. The “very preliminary” cost estimate to replace the gas lines is $500,000 to $1 million, Pothier reported.

NPU General Manager Chris LaRose told the City Council any local share of the cost to replace utility lines associated with the project would be borne by utility ratepayers. In some cases, state and federal grants and low-cost loans are possible. In response to Mayor Nystrom’s questions, LaRose said it would not be prudent to ask for rate increases to pay for the Route 82 work. Instead he said NPU might need to reshuffle other capital projects so it can complete the Route 82 work first.

LaRose said replacing the water line likely would be funded by a small grant and a large loans.

Bushee said a partnership would be worked out with NPU to determine how much of the cost the state would cover in utility replacement costs.

c.bessete@theday.com