The Department of Transportation has started work on two bridges along N.H. Route 9, U.S. Route 202, in west Hopkinton, and regular users of that highway should expect a detour in their daily commute this spring.
The two bridges, located between Interstate-89 Exit 5 and the intersection of routes 202 and 127, carry traffic over Elm Brook and the Contoocook River. The preservation project will include replacing the bridge deck pavements and membranes, replacing expansion joints, a new paint job on the structural steel and general deck repairs.
Beginning this spring, westbound traffic will be detoured north to I-89 Exit 6 and across Route 127 to rejoin routes 202/9. The detour will add about one mile for westbound traffic to get around the work. There will be no detour for eastbound traffic. DOT officials say the detour will be in place for about three months in the spring.
DOT spokesman Bill Boynton wrote in an email that these are not red-listed bridges. They were both built in 1961, rebuilt in 1981 and are currently defined as being in satisfactory condition. Red list bridges are considered in poor condition and require two inspections per year.
“While the NHDOT certainly continues to monitor and address Red List Bridges, like roadways we are looking to avoid more costly reconstruction or replacement by investing in the bridges to keep them in good shape,” Boynton wrote. “This approach is both more cost-effective and cost-efficient.”
The prime contractor for the $2.6 million project is Beck and Bellucci, Inc., of Franklin.