By Patrick Adrian and Jordan J. Phelan
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
CHARLESTOWN — State officials will reopen Route 12 through Charlestown to vehicles at the end of May, as an interim solution, while engineers develop a new long-term plan to stabilize the highway connecting communities such as Charlestown, Walpole, and Rockingham, Vermont.
Repair work on Route 12 resumed on Monday after over a one-month halt due to complications that arose during the construction, according to Kathleen Mulcahey-Hampson of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT).
In a statement to local community officials on Tuesday, Mulcahey-Hampson said that repairs to make Route 12 drivable to regular traffic will take approximately six weeks to complete, barring unforeseen weather delays.
“The immediate repair is an interim solution, subject to the same conditions and issues that cause the road to be closed [at the present],” Mulcahey-Hampson said. “Additional drainage work is planned, which will improve conditions to some degree. [The NHDOT] will continue to monitor the roadway while the alternative analysis is being done to determine a long-term solution.”
Construction initially began in January to repair the 600-foot section of Route 12, which collapsed in July 2021 after heavy rains and flooding eroded the road’s ground support. The NHDOT awarded the $2.64 million project to Casella Construction, of Mendon, Vermont, and spent months of planning and negotiations with abutters, particularly the owners of the railroad tracks that run parallel to the highway.
As part of an agreement with the railroad company, the repair plan included the construction of a soil nail wall to help stabilize the ground on the east side of the road to strengthen the embankment and prevent future landslides, as well as a monitoring system to detect ground shifts during construction.
Around March 5, during construction, the monitoring system detected “excessive movement” in the ground, which state transportation officials attributed in part to high groundwater and fluctuating temperatures. In response, the railroad rescinded its approval of the soil nail wall.
As part of the current, short-term repair, the embankment will be stabilized and the road will be rebuilt and paved so that the section of Route 12 can reopen to two-way traffic.
“We do not believe it would be safe for public use of the road during construction and it would hinder the work,” Mulcahey-Hampson stated. “However, at the request of the [Charlestown] police chief, the Department and contractor will provide emergency access for emergency vehicles during off-hours of construction.”
The long-term solution will be further investigated within the comprehensive Ten-Year Plan project., according to the New Hampshire Department of Transportation.
Transportation officials have already selected a consultant and have begun to study available alternatives.
The closure has been a strain on communities through the area, including Claremont, Charlestown, Walpole, and Bellows Falls, Vermont.
The Fall Mountain School District had to adjust its bus routes, pickups and schedules, including calculating additional time to commute students to and from school. Charlestown officials and residents also conveyed concerns about moving bus routes onto Charlestown’s local roads, which officials said would create additional wear.
Charlestown retailers have also reported a significant loss in customers due to the drop-off in vehicle traffic through town, as many commuters have had to change their driving route.
reporter @eagletimes.com
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.