The utility company Columbia Gas, responsible for a series of natural gas explosions in the Merrimack Valley in September, will pay $80 million to the three communities devastated by the explosions. The money is meant to cover the cost of repairing roads and other infrastructure torn up during restoration efforts, as well as miscellaneous expenses such as employees' overtime.

The city of Lawrence will receive about half of the settlement, $36.9 million, since it suffered the most damage. Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera said at the Tuesday news conference it was the best deal that could be reached and spares taxpayers from bearing the financial burden.

"We all wish it could be more. But when you take into account the litigation costs, this is a good deal," Rivera said.

Andover Town Manager Andrew Flanagan said nearly $62 million of the settlement has already been paid. Flanagan said the three communities explored suing the utility but determined it wasn’t worth the time and expense.

"It was absolutely in the best interest of our residents and businesses to reach an agreement that not only reimbursed the communities but provided us with the resources to move our cities and towns forward in a meaningful way," Flanagan said.

Columbia Gas President and CEO Mark Kempic called it the "best possible outcome" and thanked the communities for their "strength, patience and resilience." The third community affected was North Andover.

Read more: New President Of Columbia Gas Says First Goal Is To Regain Trust

Kempic said state regulators will determine whether ratepayers will bare the costs of these infrastructure upgrades. The total cost of the disaster to Columbia Gas is at $2 billion.

One person died, dozens were injured and thousands were left without gas service for months.

Read more: What's Happened In The 6 Months Since The Merrimack Valley Gas Fires

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.