Funding for the replacement of a culvert near Tinkham Pond was approved at Town Meeting, but there are still months to go until cars will be able to pass through on Acushnet Road.

The culvert was declared unsafe last fall.

Almost everything that can be done by the town has been, Town Administrator Mike Gagne said at the Tuesday night Selectmen meeting. All of the design, from plans to estimates, have been completed. The Historical Commission and Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife have both signed off on the project, and a hearing with the Conservation Commission is coming soon regarding wetlands around the culvert.

Now, the town is waiting for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to approve the design, hopefully by July 6.

“Once we know that the plans meet the Mass DOT requirements, then we can advertise the project and put it out to bid,” said Gagne.

The goal is for construction on the culvert to begin around Aug. 15. But Gagne said as soon as Mass DOT gives the OK, he will begin seeking contractors.

The new culvert, unlike the existing 150-year-old granite one, will be concrete and must be cast and cured for almost a month before it can be installed.

“We would like to have the final surface so vehicles can pass by the end of October,” Gagne said.

Selectman Jordan Collyer expressed his disapproval of the state’s procedure.

“I think it’s absolutely pathetic that it should take this long to make an emergency repair,” said Collyer. “In the private sector this wouldn’t fly. It’s absolutely sad that we’re going to be over a year from discovering to repair.”

He said municipalities are being “soaked and hosed” by the state and contractors through the process.

“Things were simpler back in the day, and they lasted a lot longer than they do today,” Collyer said.

Gagne said updates for the project will be posted on the town’s website, mattapoisett.net.