Residents of the O’Donnell Hill section of East Natick were relieved to learn sewers aren’t going to cost them as much as originally estimated, although it is more than what they had hoped for.

The latest assessment estimate based on the projected $1.6 million cost to provide service to 93 homes is $17,500 per unit. The assessment was initially projected at $20,000.

“We’re getting close to construction,” Warwick Sewer Authority director Janine Burke-Wells told a meeting of affected residents at City Hall Tuesday night. She said there is a high level of interest in the project and she is hopeful of competitive bidding. Bids will be opened July 13. Burke-Wells expects the WSA board to make an award at its July meeting and for construction to start in August. The project, including the repaving of streets, is expected to be completed by the fall of 2019.

“This is one of the highest ranked projects in the state,” Burke-Wells said of the neighborhood’s proximity to the Pawtuxet River.

In the opinion of Ward 8 Councilman Joseph Gallucci, who announced at the meeting he won’t be seeking reelection this year, sewers can’t come soon enough. O’Donnell Hill sewers had been part of the East Natick sewer project of 1988, but presumably due to a lack of funds was never addressed.

Gallucci called the project “a top priority,” making a point he has voiced more than once before the City Council.

He said that 35 percent of city property tax revenue is generated by Ward 8 property owners, a factor of the development of Route 2 and the malls, but that this neighborhood is still without sewers.

“It’s about time that we [Ward 8] get some service in that sector of the city,” he said.

While the WSA is installing the sewers, the system will be tied into West Warwick. That means assessments will be paid to Warwick and service fees paid to West Warwick. Assessments, which are due whether a property owner connects to the system or not, can be paid in installments over 20 years. The authority provides deferrals for property owners who have relatively recently installed new septic systems. It also offers hardship programs.

Taking into consideration the estimated $17,500 assessment (that number will be refined based on the actual cost of the sewers divided by the number of equivalent dwelling units) and the West Warwick service rates, the authority projects an average monthly sewer expense of $143.

That’s not the entire cost, however. Burke-Wells estimated the cost of connecting to the sewers at $2,500 depending on the length of internal plumbing and other factors. The authority expects to offer financial assistance programs for connections.

Construction of the sewers will be by traditional trenching in the middle of the road. Engineers expect to encounter ledge, which has been factored into cost projections. Work, expected to start in August, will generally be between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays. It will stop in late fall and resume in the spring of 2019.

At the suggestion of Bethany Furtado, who was in attendance and has declared her candidacy for City Council Ward 8, Burke-Wells said Tuesday’s presentation would be available on the authority website.