CONCORD — Northern Pass proposes burying some underground lines in the middle of roads contrary to a state utility accommodation manual, a committee member considering the project said Wednesday.

“You did the exact opposite of what the UAM had asked for,” said Site Evaluation Committee member William Oldenburg, who also is assistant director of project development at the state Department of Transportation.

“I guess I would have thought that you would have designed it first outside of the pavement instead of ‘I can’t do this. This doesn’t work for us, can we now move it into the pavement because of these reasons,’ ” Oldenburg said.

Samuel Johnson, the lead project manager for Northern Pass, said project officials are trying to adjust the underground route slightly to move underground wires off pavement when possible. Northern pass also has asked for waivers from the state DOT to allow for some lines to be put under paved roads.

“We’re looking from a design perspective to move everything off the road,” Johnson said. “There are certain restrictions that we’re asking forgiveness for if you will to put us underneath the road where there are encumbrances on either side of the road that would prevent us from being outside.”

Click below to read the full story by Michael Cousineau in the Union Leader.