News  $932,000 in Grants Awarded to Upgrade Road-Stream Crossings

DER awarded $932,000 to support culvert replacement projects that improve municipal roads and river health. Fourteen of the sixteen grants are provided through our Culvert Replacement Municipal Assistance grant program. The grants strengthen community preparedness for large storm events, protect fisheries and river habitats, and promote smart investments in climate-ready infrastructure. In addition, the grants help municipalities deal with the ever-pressing cost of aging road infrastructure.

16 projects were awarded grants:

• City of Attleboro will conduct field data collection for a culvert replacement on the Chartley Brook.
• The Town of Braintree will conduct field data collection for a culvert replacement located on Smelt Brook, a tributary of the Monatiquot River.
• The Town of Boxford will replace an undersized culvert on a tributary to the Parkers River on Valley Road with a structure meeting improved stream crossing and engineering design standards. 
• Trout Unlimited, the Town of Chester and other project partners will use the grant funds to construct a structure to replace an undersized and failing culvert on Kinne Brook Road.
• The Town of Clarksburg will conduct field data collection and analysis, design and engineering, and permitting for a culvert replacement on Bear Swamp Brook.
• The Town of Cummington will complete design and engineering tasks for the culvert replacement on the North Branch of the Swift River.
• The Town of Essex will conduct field data collection and analysis, design and engineering, and permitting for the replacement for replacement of a culvert on a tributary to the Essex River.
• The City of Holyoke will conduct field data collection and analysis, design and engineering, and permitting for the replacement of a culvert on Broad Brook.
• The City of Leominster will conduct field data collection and analysis for the replacement of a culvert on Toad Mill Brook.
• The Town of Leverett will conduct field data collection and analysis, design and engineering, and permitting for the replacement of a culvert on a tributary to Roading Brook, a coldwater fishery.
• The Town of Pepperell will conduct field data collection and analysis, design and engineering for the replacement of a culvert on Sucker Brook.
• The Town of Sharon will conduct field data collection and analysis, design and engineering, and permitting for a culvert replacement.
• The Town of Sheffield will conduct final engineering and design and permitting for a culvert replacement on Dry Brook.
• The Town of Uxbridge will conduct field data collection and analysis, design and engineering for a culvert replacement on Farrel Brook.
• The Town of Walpole will conduct field data collection and analysis for a culvert replacement project on Traphole Brook, a designated coldwater fishery resource.
• The Town of Windsor will replace an undersized and deteriorated culvert on a tributary to the East Branch of the Westfield River with a larger, safer structure that meets road-stream crossing standards.

Two projects were awarded funds from the Blackburn and Union Privileges Superfund Site Natural Resource Damage (NRD) settlement. Read the full press release.

Images: Left: Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, Representative Paul Mark, Representative Natalie Blais, Representative Michael Soter, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides and daughter, and Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Ron Amidon gathered for the grant announcement. Right: This undersized culvert in the City of Leominster is one project that received funding to be replaced with a larger, safer culvert that benefits fish and wildlife habitat.