On Nov. 23, 2009, the Town held a second Public Hearing on the replacement of the High Rd. Bridge. The minutes from the hearing will be available on the Town website. Many residents of the area attended and the overall response was not favorable to the project. The original plan was to finish the Final Design of the bridge after the Public Hearing and have the results ready for the March 2010 Town Meeting. After discussing the issue with the Road Agent/Highway Supervisor, the Board of Selectmen decided to wait until Town Meeting before spending any more
funds on engineering. If the voters approve moving ahead with the project, construction would not start until the early summer of 2011. If the voters disapprove the project, the Highway department will purchase some concrete jersey barriers and have them on standby to close the bridge in the event of flooding.
Note from the Highway Supervisor-
As a responsible Town official, I felt it was my duty to address the flooding issues that have occurred at least four times at the High Rd. Bridge since I have been the Highway Supervisor. Because it takes years to plan and get approved a total replacement bridge, I thought the Town should enroll in the NHDOT’s Municipal Bridge Aid Program and get started on the process just in case the bridge should wash out. Twice recently, sizeable sections of the roadway have washed out on the East side of the bridge costing thousands to fix. In addition to the road being closed for several days many cubic yards of sand, gravel, and hot top have been washed downstream into the wetlands and against the Sycamore trees that residents are concerned about preserving.
The general sense that I get from the residents in the High Rd. area is that the High Rd. Bridge is in good shape, has weathered several floods (the Little Bridge That Could) and except for the flooding issue the bridge should last forever. When a bridge is pounded by the severe floods that I have witnessed in 1987- 1990, 2006, & 2007 there is bound to be some damage behind and under the abutment walls that we cannot see. There is also the rust issue. The outer I-beams of the bridge are about their original thickness in many spots. The rust has also compromised the ends of the beams where they rest on the West abutment (mostly due being damp a majority of the time).
No one can say for certain how long the bridge will last or when the next flood will be. No one can also say for certain when the next time that 80% funding will be available from an outside source. The voters must decide what is in the best interest of the Town.
Facts and Figures-
Estimated total cost for the replacement of the bridge is 1.7 million dollars including engineering fees. The NHDOT will reimburse the Town 80% of the cost of the project which is estimated at $1,360,000. The Towns share would be $340,000 (which the Town has most of it saved in a trust fund). Keep in mind that our consultant uses the figures that the NHDOT recommends in figuring prices. In reality largely due to the economy, current bids are coming in at a lot less and in some cases they are coming in at 60% of the estimated cost. Our consultant believes that unless there is a large improvement in the local economy, this will likely hold true through 2011.
The large cost of the bridge is due to several factors. One is the need to raise the bridge about six feet to eliminate the flooding issues in the future. Another is the cost of retaining walls mostly on the East side of the bridge (@ $200,000) to minimize the impact to the wetlands and Sycamore trees. The third extra cost is the cost of driving pilings to support the bridge abutments on the East side of the bridge. This is needed because it was determined that there was 25 feet of soft clay where the abutment would be placed. The clay is not strong enough to support the abutments and excessive settlement would likely occur without support from the steel pilings.
Recent Information-
• The Board of Selectmen voted to hold off on any further engineering on the High Rd bridge project until the voters can decide at March Town Meeting on whether to proceed with the project.
• The Board of Selectmen have signed a waiver form and sent it to the DOT requesting a sub-standard bridge width of 20 feet. The basis for the waiver is the impact on the wetlands that a standard 24’ wide bridge would have. There are liability issues that go along with a narrower than standard bridge width. This waiver is just a first step to see if there is a possibility that the DOT will approve a narrower width.
• Randy met with the Town’s consultant Lisa Martin from Quantum Construction Consultants recently. We discussed the bridge in length and tried to come up with some solutions that would solve the flooding issues but at the same time lessen the impact the replacement bridge would have on the area. Below are some ideas that could be studied further.
Other possibilities for a bridge deck could be steel I-beams as is there now, wood timber beams and deck, or a galvanized steel truss bridge (like a railroad bridge). These types of bridge structures usually require much more maintenance than the concrete deck that was proposed.
Also discussed was lowering the proposed grade on the East side of the bridge. This would make for a slight ramp leading up to the bridge, provide for a flood relief and cut down on the retaining wall height. This is just an idea at this point and would have to be studied more to see if it was feasible.
Cosmetically there are many possibilities. Wooden guardrail backed by hidden steel is a more expensive but possible alternative to the standard w-beam guardrail. There are also “form liners” which can be used when pouring the concrete abutments that mimic the stone abutments that are presently there (see picture below).
The stones from the present abutments can be used at the foot of the wing-walls where they will be visible and as protection for the new abutments
Summary
The Town is currently enrolled in the NHDOT’s Municipal Bridge Aid Program. The funds are currently available from the State and the Town has most if not all of the matching funds in The Bridge Trust Fund. If the voters approve the replacement of the bridge at Town Meeting in March, the final design will be completed and the project will probably go out to bid in late 2010 with construction starting in the spring of 2011.
If the voters disapprove the replacement of the bridge, the NHDOT will still reimburse the Town 80% of the engineering fees the Town has expended to date. However, the Town will no longer be in the NHDOT Municipal Bridge Aid Program and currently the NHDOT is scheduling new projects in fiscal year 2018. In other words, if the bridge washed out it could be many more years before STATE funds would become available. It would be a very expensive ordeal for the Town to replace the bridge on its own.
Residents and voters should consider carefully how they vote on this warrant article. If there are any questions on the project or more information is needed please contact Randy Stevens at 659-6515 or Email at rstevens @ leenh.org. Randy would be more than happy to attend a neighborhood meeting on the bridge subject if the residents think it would be beneficial. We just want to make sure you have all of the necessary information needed before voting on the project.
Form Liner used when pouring concrete wing walls that mimics stone wing-walls.
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