FARMINGTON — The portion of the Whittier Road closed for riverbank stabilization project construction reopened this afternoon.

The town has worked to stabilize the bank of the Sandy River since 2011, when a storm caused a large chuck of the bank to break off 30 feet from the road. If left unchecked, consultants predicted the bank would continue to erode toward the road and eventually cause it to collapse.

The project successfully stuck to its $452,072 budget.

Town leaders now are considering a long-term river management plan to identify flood-prone area and study ways to correct problem sections.