Dover's Chestnut Street bridge to close for several months for repairs: What to know
DOVER — A well-traveled but aging bridge crossing the Cochecho River is set to be closed down for several months to accommodate for a series of repairs.
All vehicular and pedestrian traffic will be barred beginning in January on the Chestnut Street bridge as a construction company contracted by the city begins work projected to last into the spring.
The Dover City Council last week unanimously approved the $2.1 million project contract with New England Infrastructures of Hudson, Massachusetts. A city description of the project states work will entail removing the pavement, membrane and sidewalks on the bridge and repairing deteriorated concrete in the bridge deck. The project will also include cold-planing of the pavement, reconstruction of the bridge’s sidewalks, and the installation of new bridge membrane, new bridge pavement and new wearing-course pavement.
Timeline is important for Chestnut Street bridge project
The city plans to have the bridge reopened in time for Memorial Day.
“This is another project in the downtown that’s going to have some significant disruption but obviously a bridge over the Cochecho is an essential infrastructure item, and we want to get it fixed and repaired as soon as possible,” said City Manager Michael Joyal.
City community services director John Storer told the City Council at its meeting last Wednesday, Dec. 14 that the base bid for the project is $1.4 million, though the total contract award factors in contingencies.
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Why the bridge is being replaced and why is it being updated again
The Chestnut Street bridge was built in 1975, according to the city.
“One of the reasons we want to proceed is (because) bridge deterioration can accelerate quite quickly,” Storer said.
The project was initially put out to bid in March though a contract was never awarded due to higher than anticipated prices in the bids. The city then reevaluated and spoke with Dover’s fire, police and school departments, and Storer said they “could live with a winter shutdown.”
When reworking the bid, the city added funding to its capital improvements program for fiscal years 2024 through 2029, which the City Council approved in October.
Compared to completing the project in the warmer months, Storer said, “We think shutting down the road is going to save us close to $300,000. We will have to accommodate with plowing but it should be a significant savings.”
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The city’s Transportation Advisory Commission reviewed and approved the bridge’s closure plan at a meeting in May.
Work on the bridge’s expansion joints was completed a few years ago though when it occurred, the contractor observed concrete delamination in the sidewalks. In 2018, Dover partnered with an engineering design consultant to assess the bridge and begin planning its rehabilitation.
New England Infrastructure was the only bidder for the bridge repair project, per project records.
This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Chestnut Street bridge in Dover NH to close for construction in 2023
