By Rick Green
THE KEENE SENTINEL
The N.H. Senate has unanimously passed legislation that would appropriate $36 million more this fiscal year for fixing deteriorating bridges owned by towns and cities, including nine in Keene and many others in the Monadnock Region.
Also included in Senate Bill 401 is an additional $30 million for municipal road construction, which would double 2022 funding to more than $60 million, and $1 million in a new appropriation for body-worn or dashboard-mounted police cameras.
The measure is scheduled to be considered by the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee on Friday. It was passed by the Senate on Thursday, March 31.
Other bills approved recently by the Senate would provide grants for schools, funding for wastewater projects and an increased state reimbursement rate for nursing homes.
The grand total of all these measures is $109 million. This money would come from state surplus and is intended to ease the load on property taxpayers, Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, said in a news release.
“With inflation at a 40-year high, and state revenues coming in far greater than anticipated, all New Hampshire taxpayers can and should benefit from a surplus that is a direct result of responsible tax and budget policies,” Bradley said.
Keene Public Works Director Kurt Blomquist said the city appreciates the proposed increase in bridge-repair money, but added that, in the big picture, the extra money is a “drop in the bucket.”
A statewide “red list” contains 222 seriously deficient bridges owned by municipalities. Repair projects typically cost about $1 million each, he said.
At the start of last year, there were 223 bridges on this list. Seventeen were repaired, but 16 new bridges were added to the roster throughout the year.
New Hampshire’s current biennium budget appropriates $6.8 million each year in municipal bridge aid. Eight bridges were repaired with state aid last year, and nine more were fixed with municipal funds, according to the list.
“We really appreciate the Legislature bumping up bridge funding, but it isn’t a long-term funding plan for transportation infrastructure in the state,” Blomquist said.
Bridges are added to the list when inspections reveal problems in the deck, the superstructure, the substructure or culvert.
The Beaver Street Bridge over Beaver Brook in Keene gets a “serious” rating for the condition of its substructure, and a “poor” rating (one step better) for the deck and the superstructure. If problems become worse, a bridge can be classified as “failing,” and ultimately would be closed.
Once bridges are included on the red list, it usually takes about 10 years for them to qualify for state funding. The net effect of the $36 million included in SB 401 would be to allow projects to be funded somewhat faster.
Other local municipalities with red-listed bridges include Acworth, Alstead, Charlestown, Claremont, Gilsum, Plainfield, Springfield, Walpole, and Westmoreland.
The George Street Bridge over Beaver Brook in Keene is a $730,000 project that is scheduled to be funded next year, Blomquist said. In all, four bridges over the brook are on the list for repairs. Three of those were built in 1923.
He said Keene bridges on the list are safe for passenger vehicles, but are likely subject to weight limitations. The condition of bridges is often a function of their age.
“What happens is a crack develops, and water and salt get into the interior and corrodes the rebar,” Blomquist said. “Then the concrete members no longer have the strength to carry the loads they have to carry.”
Many older bridges weren’t designed for the kind of vehicles on the road today.
“In 1921, there weren’t 53-foot-long trucks carrying 8,000 pounds of cargo,” he said. “The design standards were different back then.”
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