Engineering director: construction-material inflation has pushed waterline replacement costs to $411/linear foot

Brian Armstrong, director of engineering services, outlined how material and labor inflation have inflated capital project costs across the town. He said copper, steel and PVC have seen steep year-over-year increases and described consequences for the town’s CIP schedules.

Armstrong gave concrete examples: a residential street waterline that cost about $162 per linear foot in 2020 rose to roughly $259 in 2022 and is now bidding around $411 per linear foot in 2026. "In 2020, we did a project for residential street, a $162 per linear foot," Armstrong said, then walked the board through increases that force many projects to be phased over multiple years rather than completed in one cycle. He also cited slow state review turnaround times that can push work into the next pricing cycle and add further cost.