Repairs begin today on Swetts Pond Road

ORRINGTON – Repairs will begin today on the portion of Swetts Pond Road washed away last week when a beaver dam let loose.

Selectmen voted Tuesday to contract with D&H Construction in Orrington and Robert Wardwell & Sons Inc. in Bucksport for the 1,400-foot project at an estimated cost of $70,000 to $100,000, according to Selectman Howard Grover.

“It could cost more but we’re not that far into it to know,” he said Wednesday.

The road should be passable in a week, according to Grover, who said Lane Construction in Hampden probably will hot-top the area within 30 days.

Emergency vehicles have been able to get through, he said.

Located in a largely undeveloped area between the Swetts Pond and Hoxie Hill roads, the beaver dam reportedly let go early on the morning of May 23.

The rush of water washed away a half-mile section of Swetts Pond Road, left a 25-foot-deep chasm at the entrance of Cemetery Road and damaged several driveways before making its way downhill across Route 15 to the Penobscot River.

Repairs to Cemetery Road already are under way and are projected to total $7,000 to $10,000, Grover said.

The town will pay to repair two driveways because they are in the right of way, according to the selectman. The owner of a third driveway will have to manage on his own.

“It’s unconstitutional to spend public funds on private property,” Grover said.