MASSENA – Massena Township Commissioners have signed an amendment to the township’s agreement with Wright Pierce Engineering Consultants PC, which will proceed with planning a water main replacement project.

The water main in question would run along the South Main Street Bridge and replace a water main that runs under the Raquette River.

The trustees began taking action months ago after a second water main failure occurred and extensive repairs by divers were required.

Because the pipe was leaking 60,000 to 100,000 gallons of water per day, village officials began looking for ways to replace the water line.

A temporary water line has been installed to provide water to residents south of the bridge, but village officials said this was only a short-term solution.

The repairs, which took three days, cost the village just over $11,000.

Marty Miller, director of the village’s public works department, said he has since worked with the state Department of Transportation and Wright Pierce on the project.

Village officials had already signed the agreement with the engineering firm a year ago, thus initiating the design phase of the extensive project.

Once the contract is signed, the company will design the project, which will then be submitted to the state Department of Transportation for approval, Miller said.

Miller said the review process will likely include requests from the U.S. Department of Transportation for changes to the project as the company moves forward with the design process.

Miller had previously stated that the state Department of Transportation would have to approve the project because the bridge is on a state highway and therefore falls under its jurisdiction.

Another aspect of Wright Pierce’s work is assisting with pre-planning reports that can be helpful in applying for grants.

During the June meeting, it was announced that the township would apply for a state water infrastructure improvement grant through the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation to cover the cost of the project.

During the June meeting, trustees also approved a $4.7 million bond to cover the costs of improving the water distribution system that would be incurred as part of the construction of the new water main.

Miller said regardless of the funding status, the project will be ready for shovel launch when the grant is announced.

“We will be ready to go,” he said.