Andover's transportation system contains 52 miles of Class V roads, half paved and half gravel, and bridges, some the responsibility of the Town and others of the State. These mileage totals do not include State Highways 4 and 11, which are maintained by the State. Normal summer and winter maintenance and the cost of reconstruction add up to the largest single item in town government's budget. Summer maintenance includes reshaping gravel roads, mowing roadsides, culvert and other drainage repair, ditching, calcium chloride treatment to keep dust down, and routine upkeep of bridges as well as patching of paved roads. Roads stand up to weight and wear far better when they are kept dry from foundation to travel surface. The only way to accomplish that is adequate ditching and recently attention has focused on ditching to get the water out of road structures. Winter maintenance is the plowing of all Class V roads as soon as possible after storms and the distribution of a sand/salt mix on those roads.
Normal maintenance is performed by the road agent, an elected position of two-year terms, and by his crews and subcontractors. The Town owns a new road grader and all other necessary equipment is rented as needed. Using computer software developed by the N.H. Department of Transportation and the Technology Transfer Center of the University of New Hampshire enables a comprehensive survey of our road network's condition and helps to guide decisions on repair and reconstruction priorities, and a new survey is planned with the upgraded software now in development by the State.
Reconstruction is an ongoing task contracted out by the board of selectmen, who propose specific road rebuilding projects to the Town's budget committee and to the yearly Town meeting. Approved and funded projects are always let for public bidding. Under the guidance of a continuing resolution adopted by a past town meeting, road rebuilding is an annual obligation, its cost tailored to achieve as well as possible an even tax rate.
Bridge maintenance and rebuilding are also recurrent. The State's Ten Year Transportation Improvement Plan 2005-2014 provides the following definitions as guidelines for action:
"when conditions reach the status of structurally deficient, functionally obsolete, or Red List, consideration must be given to rehabilitation or replacement. Definitions of each of these conditions are as follows:
" Structurally Deficient - A bridge which, due to its deteriorated condition, no longer meets current standards for load carrying capacity and structural integrity.
" Functionally Obsolete - A bridge which, due to the changing need fo the transportation system, no longer meets current standards for deck geometry, load carrying capacity, vertical or horizontal clearances, or alignment of the approaches to the bridge.
" Red List - Bridges that require more frequent inspections due to known deficiencies, poor structural conditions, weight restrictions, or the type of construction (such a sa replacement bridge installed on a temporary basis).
"Although Red List bridges are perceived by the public as those being in the worst condition, this is not always true. The Red List identifies those bridges that require additional inspection efforts, as indicated above. Some of these bridges are historic, such as covered bridges, and will always remain on the red list.
Andover currently has several 'structurally deficient' or 'functionally obsolete' bridges, some owned by the State and some by the Town. There are also Red List bridges owned by both the State and the Town.
The timing of bridge reconstruction depends largely on engineering inspections performed by the State. The rebuilding of a particular bridge is a multi-year process involving the selection of an engineering firm, estimating the costs of the project, and public bidding by contractors on the bridge-building itself. Where approved by the State, eighty per cent of the funds are provided by the State. Recent experience has included the rebuilding of the Cilleyville Bridge, the Bradley Lake Dam bridge, and the Dyer's Crossing bridge.
Special projects have included installing new beams under the Bridge Road covered bridge and the complete reconstruction of the Cilleyville-Bog Bridge, paid for in large part by the fund-raising efforts of the Cilleyville-Bog Bridge Committee, a volunteer group.
Priorities for the Road Department include a new central facility for the storage of sand and gravel, anticipated to be required soon by expected Federal regulations, and construction of an equipment barn. The near-term financial projections also include adding to capital reserve funds for future equipment purchases and bridge reconstructions.
