As the unseasonably warm weather continues, municipalities are starting to close some roads to heavy load-bearing traffic early.
Henniker Road Agent Tom Weston said certain roads usually get closed to heavier traffic during the spring thaw, when the frost that has permeated the gravel underneath the roads during the winter begins to melt. That can cause the underlying structure to shift and become damaged, especially when heavier vehicles pass through.
Bow and Henniker recently announced that several roads will be soon closed to vehicles with loads over 10 and six tons, respectively, to avoid damage to the roads’ underlying structure. The roads will be closed to heavier vehicles until further notice.
Chip Chesley, director of Concord’s public works department, noted the discussion about which roads should be posted is coming earlier than usual this year thanks to the weather, although Concord hasn’t posted any roads yet.
“Next week is school vacation, and I can’t remember ever having this discussion as early as now,” he said.
According to the National Weather Service, February’s average temperature so far has been 27.2 degrees, a little colder than last year’s 28.2 degrees. But the last few days have seen a stretch of warm weather that doesn’t look like it will be stopping anytime soon.
The NWS predicts today will see a high of 60 degrees, Sunday a high of 42 degrees, and Monday a high of 50 degrees. Thursday’s 65 degree-high broke a 142-record, according to the weather service.
Weston did not have a list of the roads, but said all the dirt roads in town will be subject to the closure. He said some roads, such as Flander Road past Pat’s Peak and Western Avenue, will not be subject to the postings because they service businesses.
Road postings in Bow include Birchdale Road, Page Road and Hooksett Turnpike, all of which have redlisted bridges. The full list can be seen at bownh.gov.
(Caitlin Andrews can be reached at 369-3309, candrews@cmonitor.com or on Twitter at @ActualCAndrews.)