PLYMOUTH, N.H. ? Work be-gan recently on preparations for the replacement of the NH Route 175-A bridge over the Pemigewas-set River between Plymouth and Holderness, with the demolition of the former Winnipesaukee Bay Gulls café. Other buildings in the immediate area are to be removed in the near future.
According to project manager Nancy Mayville, of the New Hamp-shire Municipal Highways Bureau, the existing bridge is ?in very poor condition? and has been on the state?s ?Red List? for several years. Bridges on the ?Red List? are struc-turally unsound and functionally obsolete, and need to be inspected every six months by the New Hamp-shire Department of Transportation to ensure that they are still capable of handling their average daily traf-fic volume.
Mayville said the actual bridge replacement is not slated to begin until late 2004 or early 2005, but in the interim, crews will be working to clean up petroleum contamination in the river, and demolish buildings in the path of the projected new roadway. The construction will also involve a major utility relocation project, in which utility lines will be removed from the existing bridge trusses and placed under the river. The Department of Transportation plans to construct a temporary bridge downstream for use while the new span is being built.
Traffic control during the replace-ment project should be minimal, Mayville said. The temporary bridge will have two full lanes of traffic, but there will need to be occasional lane closures and alternating one-way traffic. However, motorists should not seek alternate routes.
The new bridge was designed fol-lowing a formal public forum with input from residents of Plymouth and Holderness and representatives from Plymouth State University. It will have three lanes, including two through traffic lanes and a center left-turn lane, with five-foot shoulders on each side. There will be eight-foot sidewalks on both sides of the bridge, which should alleviate problems in the winter when pedes-trians and snowmobiles are trying to cross the river at the same time.
Route 175-A currently terminates at NH Route 25 and US Route 3 at a three-way stop across from High Street, but does not line up with High Street, resulting in a dangerous traffic pattern known as a ?dogleg.? In order to alleviate safety concerns here, Route 175-A and High Street will both be realigned to a standard four-way intersection. While early plans called for a traffic signal at the crossroads, some Plymouth residents and downtown merchants have expressed interest in having a roundabout, or traffic circle, at the intersection.
The bridge construction, includ-ing final paving, is not expected to be complete until early