Cost of Hadley dike repair sky rockets

HADLEY, Mass. (AP) - The cost of repairing the cracked dike holding back the Connecticut River in Massachusetts has jumped to more than $1 million since a portion collapsed earlier this month.

The collapse also pushed back the completion date to April 8.

Workers started installing metal sheeting along 275 feet of the dike in Hadley on Wednesday.

Select Board Chairman Gerry Devine said the original bid from the contractor has "skyrocketed" because of the cost of the sheeting, overtime, and the construction of a temporary road.

The estimate is now $1.05 million.

A crack was discovered in the 77-year-old levee last June. Without repairs, homes, several historic buildings, a cemetery and the Town Common could be vulnerable to flooding.