Attorney Mike Carter said an outside contractor may be hired to handle sewer line work that would normally involve cuts into roadways.
He told the County Commission that plumbers raised concerns about the planned road cuts that are part of a $40 million program by the Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority to fix leaky sewer lines.
He said plumbers pointed out that some firms have equipment that allow them to tunnel under a roadway instead of cutting and then patching it. However, no Chattanooga firm has the equipment and someone from outside would need to be brought in.
Attorney Carter said it was calculated that if local plumbers handled the cuts it could balloon the overall program cost up to $58 million.
He said plumbers would prefer to be putting in new lines to homes instead.
He also noted that one of the first areas to be serviced is East Ridge, and he said many of its roads are heavily traveled. He said the road cuts would impede traffic.
Commissioner Richard Casavant praised the work of attorney Carter on the effort, saying he is "working miracles." But he said he is anxious for actual work to begin.
Attorney Carter said it has on an emergency basis. He said whenever a customer calls with a clogged line, that line is replaced rather than patched.