To repair the roads and sewer system in the center of Marion, engineers from Camp, Dresser, McKee, and Smith estimate it would cost roughly $18.4 million.

On Tuesday, Shawn Syde, Project Manager for CDM, presented an updated plan to complete the repairs in the center of town, which was nearly $9 million down from last year’s estimate of $27 million.

Last year, Syde proposed an eight-year plan for the project.

To lower costs, the plan has been expanded to 10 years with each phase of the plan lasting two to four years.

The town has applied for a number of grants to help finance the project. In November, the town received a $1 million grant from the MassWorks Infrastructure Program to use toward repairs in the Village.

Other reductions from the original $27 million estimate last year include foregoing plans to build new brick sidewalks and crosswalks in the Village once the roads are paved.

On Tuesday, the Selectmen approved that $101,500 be paid to CDM to complete additional studies of the roads and sewer system in the Village.

“The roads and sidewalks are in poor condition,” Syde said. “For the sewer system, we need to repair pipes that are broken and cracked.”

The drainage pipes in the Village are more than 100-years-old and have been deteriorating for some time, Syde said.

Rob Zora, Superintendent of the Department of Public Works, agreed.

“The drain pipes are too small and a lot of them have collapsed,” Zora said. “They’re just old pipes that need to be replaced.

The declining pipes have caused a water inflow and infiltration problem that is costing the town an additional $90,000 per year to fix as well as some flooding in the roads, Syde said.

CDM has conducted some trench repairs on roads in the Village, including Front Street, but there is much more work to be done, Syde said.

Among the roads included in CDM’s plan are Front Street, Spring Street, Ryder Lane, Main Street, and Cottage Street.

The cost of the repairs also accounts for unforeseen costs that could arise during construction.

To complete the repairs, the project would have to be approved by Town Meeting.

Since it was first proposed last year, the project has come under fire from residents and officials who have questioned whether the town could afford it.

Last February, Karen Kevelson, a Finance Committee member, said approving the project would be “delusional.”

“We don’t have any money,” Kevelson said during a public hearing for the project.

With additional studies, Town Administrator Paul Dawson said the cost of the project could be reduced even further.

“We expect the number to go down as we continue to hone in on questions and reduce the cost,” Dawson said. “We’ve already seen it come down. It’s a big number for sure.”

Now that the plan for the repairs has been revised, Syde said that CDM is aiming to hold a series of public hearings in the coming months to address any concerns of residents and officials.