The residents of Fox Hill Avenue have been dealing with drainage issues for years — issues that they hoped would have been resolved by now. However, that is not yet the case.

According to one resident, the final paving has not been completed, despite the fact that it began before the Fourth of July. Currently, the new drains and sewer covers project above the level of the street, as they have for months.

It’s an issue of which DPW Director Chris Parella is well aware of. However, he attributes the holdup of the final paving to delays on the part of Cardi Corporation, the contractor who was awarded the road resurfacing bid.

Bristol is not the only municipality that has been left with incomplete infrastructure projects due to issues with Cardi.

According to reporting by Brian Crandall of Channel 10 News (WJAR), Cardi has been struggling with delays all year, including a project in Warren to replace their “Broken Bridge” spanning the Kickemuit River.

They confirmed to WJAR back in March that they were having cash flow issues, then Crandall spoke over the summer to an anonymous manager, who said the company is “winding down.” The manager noted that many of their jobs and employees have been picked up by Manafort Brothers, another large construction company, based in Connecticut, that specializes in municipal infrastructure projects.

Parella confirmed that the Cardi Corporation’s financial health appeared to be impacting their ability to obtain the materials needed to complete these contracts, though he noted that he had not been given that information directly from Cardi.

“The town has worked feverishly to get the final stages of the project finished this year,” he wrote in an email. “We are evaluating the situation as it evolves in real time and we are weighing our options. We do have a contingency plan if necessary but we should know more very soon.”

Noting that the town was not aware of Cardi Corporation’s financial difficulties when they awarded them the bid, Town Administrator Steve Contente said that the delay was not actually costing the town any money. Though Cardi was paid a retainer, they have completed about 90 percent of the work, and the town has not paid for any work that remains.

“Beta, our engineering company, sends out an RFQ, request for quote, with every project. Cardi appears to be getting bought out, so in the future if the new company submits a bid, we will look at it.”

“As for the drainage and sewer structures being exposed, I can assure the residents that the exposed structures will be addressed before we expect any snowfall,” said Parella, who also encouraged residents to feel free to reach out to him directly at his DPW office with any questions or concerns.

That number is 401-253-4100.