A failing sewer line has forced officials to close a section of road in Barrington.  

About two weeks ago, officials from the Barrington Department of Public Works closed the southern end of Middle Highway from Nayatt Road to the intersection with Maple Avenue, while crews replace a 210-foot section of sewer line. That section of road has remained, for the most part, closed to traffic.

Barrington Department of Public Works Director Alan Corvi said officials had been monitoring that part of Middle Highway and noticed that the road was dipping near the intersection with Legion Way.

“It got real bad this year,” Corvi said. 

DPW workers investigated the situation and discovered that some water and silt were infiltrating the sewer pipe in that area. Corvi said the sewage is not leaking out, as the 15-inch pipe carries only a few inches of sewage regularly.

Barrington hired the contractor CB Utility to complete the emergency sewer line repair.

“It’s a deep excavation. It’s almost 17 feet deep,” Corvi said. 

As of last week, workers had completed about 150 feet of the 210-foot section of pipeline that was scheduled to be replaced. The project faced a slight challenge recently when crews encountered two water lines. Corvi said the contractor was working with the Bristol County Water Authority, which was expected to install temporary bypasses with the water lines. 

Corvi said crews must “de-water” or pump out when doing work, as the groundwater in that area runs quite high.

The DPW director said it is not clear how much this project will cost taxpayers. CB Utility has four workers on-site — two operators and two laborers. 

“It’s not going to be cheap, but we have to do it,” Corvi said.