NORWICH — Six weeks since heavy flooding washed out Hemlock Road, owners of four homes are still unable to access their properties by vehicle.

Town staff are negotiating a contract with Stantec, a Burlington-based consulting firm, for an engineering study of the dead-end road off Route 5 that remains closed due to damage sustained from floodwaters on July 10.

An inspection by engineers in July found significant erosion of the embankment as a result of fast-moving water in the Ompompanoosuc River and soil oversaturated by heavy rains. The loss of support beneath the road caused the roadway to crack and split and one portion of road appeared to be sinking into the failing slope.

Three tenants renting homes at the end of Hemlock Road had to vacate due to the road’s emergency closure.

Interim Town Manager Brennan Duffy told Selectboard members last week that reopening the road is the town’s top priority.

“The neighbors have been very patient and generous with allowing us to work through the complexities to address the road closure, as it affects their properties and lives,” Duffy said at the meeting.

The town initially hoped to construct a temporary access road. However, that requires a temporary easement from a neighboring landowner to build on his property.

As of last week, town staff have been unable to find the landowner to receive permission, despite several visits to his property.

Two of the affected homes were being rented by tenants — a single resident living at 95 Hemlock Road and a couple living at 101 Hemlock Road.

The other two homes are part of a single estate. The owner, Kathleen Peterson, died on July 8.

Yanmei Lin, owner of 95 Hemlock Road, told the Selectboard late last month that the property owners will need access to prepare their homes for the coming winter, which includes insulating windows and doorways and refilling their heating fuel.

Duffy said the homeowners may park their vehicles at the barricade and continue on foot to their properties — roughly a 5-minute walk. However, oil or propane fuel trucks will be unable to complete a delivery until the road is reopened.

An attempt to email Lin for comment received an auto-reply that she would be away from her office until later this month.

The town is currently discussing with Stantec what engineering work will be required to remedy the embankment instability and the anticipated cost, Duffy said last week. A proposal will be presented at a Selectboard meeting on Sept. 27.

Stantec was the only firm to respond to the town’s recent request for a qualified engineering consultant.

Duffy said the project recently qualified for funding reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA — which will cover 75% of the project cost.

The state will contribute an additional 12.5% in funding and Norwich will make up the remainder.

In July, Stantec — which was contracted by the town to do the initial engineering inspection — estimated that the permanent repairs to Hemlock Road would cost around $1 million and could take 12 to 18 months to complete.

Stantec had also recommended building a temporary road as a short-term solution.

Some residents at last week’s meeting questioned the need to keep Hemlock Road closed, saying it appears to be safe enough to travel.

“I’m not an engineer or an expert but I didn’t see anything that would have prevented me from driving my car all the way to the end,” said Selectboard member Pam Smith, who visited the closure.

Jeff Goodrich, a civil engineer and town resident, said he walked the road and the embankment and could find “no indication to suggest (any existing erosion) is relatable to any storm event.”

“I don’t know why the road’s closed,” Goodrich said. “I understand the concerns about slight cracks, whatever that may mean, but from my standpoint I don’t see the basis for road closure.”

Duffy replied that the road surface appears in better condition only because last month some individuals illicitly entered the closed area and filled in the cracks with road material.

“While I might feel I could drive along that road, it would be unsafe and imprudent to open that road to motorized traffic at the moment until we have some engineering assurance that it is safe to do so.”

Duffy also noted that filling in the road cracks could have jeopardized the town’s eligibility for FEMA reimbursement. If not for Stantec’s inspection — which included photographs of the damage, FEMA might not have had visible evidence to justify reimbursement.

“We were very lucky that we had that initial Stantec report with graphic documentation of those cracks,” Duffy said.

Interim Chief of Police Matthew Romei said that he will not discuss the incident publicly as it is still a pending investigation.

Patrick Adrian may be reached at padrian@vnews.com or at 603.727-3216.