by Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — The Representative Town Meeting approved $300,000 Tuesday night so the Department of Public Works can replace more than 300 feet of sewer main under Riverside Avenue.

The line is under-sized for the demand, DPW Director Peter Ratkiewich said, and appears to be obstructed by debris, possibly from milling and paving work done by a state contractor in recent years.

The work will begin at the pump station at Pasacreta Park, across from Sylvan Road South and the Sunoco station, and extend a little more than 300 feet northward.

The old line will be decommissioned and left in place, Ratkiewich said.

The money was earlier endorsed by the Finance and Public Works committees of the RTM at a joint meeting.

The current sewer line, Ratkiewich said, is under the road about 13 feet down, but the new one will be under the side of the road, minimizing disruptions to traffic.