Road Conditions in Merrimack

[joe179]

Well--- this has been a long and hard winter.

Many of the roads in town are in dire need of repair and/or resurfacing. I've noticed quite a number of potholes, cracks and other signs of deterioration in our roads. There are even a couple nice holes out in front of Town Hall on Baboosic.

In my neighborhood, we have some potholes that must be avoided. This pothole is almost identical to one that is in the intersection of Woodland and Hartwood:


The roads here were resurfaced back in '89 and are long overdue for a new surface. I was hoping that one of the drainage projects that was approved (Woodland Drive) would have begun last summer:

DRAINAGE BOND
This Article authorizes the financing and design/construction of drainage improvements throughout the Town. In 2005/2006, the Town’s Capital Improvement Plan (C.I.P.) had identified a number of key areas with non-existent or functionally deficient storm drainage. Projects that had been included in the first three years of the Town’s six-year C.I.P. program were included in a Bond Warrant Article in the amount of $1.7 million for ballot vote at the 2006 Town Meeting. This Article received approximately 57% vote in favor, which was slightly less than the 60% threshold that was required.

Shortly after the 2006 Town Meeting, the Town experienced the “Mother’s Day Flood of 2006”, which created damage to the Town’s roadways and bridges; sanitary sewer system; wastewater treatment plant; as well as damage to private property throughout Town, primarily in areas with substandard storm drainage facilities.

This article will provide the funding to address areas of Town that have experienced damage due to storm drainage runoff, such as Forsythia Drive, Bambi Trail/Silver Doe Lane, Hilton Drive, Woodland Drive, Souhegan/Currier Road, Chapel/Wheeler Street, and Pilgrim/MinutemanDrives. This article will provide the necessary funding to construct the drainage improvements in an efficient manner, so that the roads that are already scheduled for sanitary sewer construction may have the necessary storm drainage improvements constructed at the same time.

Furthermore, the installation of proper storm drainage within the streets previously mentioned will greatly extend the life of the roadway pavement, minimize the erosion along the roadsides, reduce the runoff into private driveways and property, address some of the roadway ponding/winter ice situations. This article will result in positive improvements to the Town’s infrastructure and a positive return in investment for the community. Coupled with the Stormwater Master Plan activity that is currently underway, this bond is a very important step in addressing the Town’s storm water issues.

The total project cost is $1.88 million, which would be financed by the issuance of bonds in theamount of $1.7 million and by the transfer of $180,000 from the Drainage Capital Reserve Fund. If you have any questions about the projects, please contact Ed Chase at 424-5137.

Estimated Property Tax Impact: $2 per $100,000 of Assessed Valuation in 2007and Declining Amounts of Between $7 and $4 per $100,000 of AssessedValuation Thereafter During the 15-Year Bond Term

Does anyone know what's up with these projects and how the town is planning to deal with the deteriorating road conditions?

I'd also like to hear from Town Council candidates about how they view this matter and what they intend to do about investment in our Capital Reserve accounts...

[Michael Pelletier]

There's a section of McQuestion road where at least two layers of asphalt have fallen away in places, and as the snow recedes at the side of the road, the hubcaps are emerging. Keep an eye out for a shiny one, that'd be mine.

I'd be surprised if post-winter road repair weren't part of the normal operating budget of the department.

[rmorrissey]

Check out (or even update)

http://www.wmur.com/asseenon/15504532/detail.html

For a list of problem roads

[Nat Fairbanks]

Does anyone know what's up with these projects and how the town is planning to deal with the deteriorating road conditions?

Here's to hoping they do a better job with the deteriorating roads in your neighborhood than the town did in ours. A couple of years ago they resurfaced the roads in Brickmill Park but the roads are worse now than they were before they were repaved. The road in front of my neighbor's house has what appears to be an underground pipe (water I imagine) crossing under the road and it's turned into a nice jump ramp for the local traffic. Hopefully we won't have another water main break like we had over on Berkley street a few years ago.

-Nat

[joe179]

I'd be surprised if post-winter road repair weren't part of the normal operating budget of the department.

I would also think that a certain level of post winter road repair is standard fare for the DPW. This year it seems the magnitude of the problem may be higher than standard.

Some questions are:

1. How much repair can be effected within existing budgets.
2. How will the town cover costs for additional unplanned maintenance?
3. What roads are scheduled for resurfacing and major repairs--will they be delayed due to the extensive maintenance needs on other roads?
4. What is the overall plan to deal with these deteriorating road surfaces?
5. When will the town begin and end the drainage projects approved by the voters last year?

[Tom Mahon]

I read with interest the posts on this thread and then contacted the Town Manager. He alerted DPW and the following response was sent to me today:

Keith,
I drove the three areas mentioned on the forum thread yesterday and then met with Bruce Moreau. This is what I found:

Woodland and Hartwood: There are some potholes. We were first notified on March 13 by Clare Graham and repairs have been put on the list. We have not heard from any Joe179. This morning’s work schedule indicates that these repairs are being made today.

McQuestion Road: The crew has patched some of this before, but the problem is primarily overlay delaminations which are too shallow to patch effectively. The crew was patching there again yesterday as I drove by. Again, we had a request from a resident to patch this area, but it did not come from the author of the forum comments.

Brickmill Park: I did not see any potholes here. The overlay is showing reflection cracking from the pavement courses below, but the forum statement that the condition is worse than before the overlay is baseless and clearly meant to be inflammatory. Brickmill Park has been on and off the list for sewer extension numerous times in the eleven years that I have worked for the Town. The only solution to the problems here is a major reconstruction of the road and it doesn’t make sense to go to that expense if it might be torn up for sewer construction a couple of years later. There has been no consistency in the Boards’ or Councils’ positions over the years on sewer extensions so it is very difficult for DPW to know what direction to take with road repairs.

It would be much more effective for people to call or email the Highway Division with their service requests as we are able to give them some idea as to what our workload is and when the repair might be scheduled. With the forum we often have no way to contact the complainer for more information.

David C. Lent

David C. Lent, P.E.
Deputy Director
Merrimack DPW
PO Box 940
12 Bishop St.
Merrimack, NH 03054

dlent@ci.merrimack.nh.us

(voice) 603-424-5137
(fax) 603-424-3890

I ask that if you see problems or have issues to please contact the department or the Town Manager to express your concerns. Any repairs made at this time of year are temporary by definition. The weather is still difficult and the precipitation and the frost in the ground make it very difficult. Areas of Amherst Road that were cold patched 7-10 days ago are breaking up again. This town does a better then average job on maintaining roads. This has been a particularly harsh winter. As you can see from the above, it takes about 6 calendar days to make it to the top of the list.

[GregRS]

I don't know who this David C. Lent is but he comes across as rather condescending and disrespectful.

Personally, I've sent email requests to the DPW regarding the snow plowing in our neighborhood, Abbey Rd. The plow consistently plows 4 feet into our lawns, over a 3 inch curb, taking along a layer of sod and any irrigation heads. In all cases, I've received no response or resolution. So, I wouldn't hold your breath if you send in a request.

Greg

[Debra Huffman]

Greg, to be fair to Dave Lent, remember that (a) this letter was not directed to the public, just to his boss; (b) he just had his boss tell him that residents are complaining about the job he's doing, and (c) it's the end of a very harsh winter in which the DPW crews had to put in a lot of hard work to keep the streets clear.

Add those together, and I think Dave's response was pretty tame.

As for the DPW, they have to realize that the forum is sometimes just a b*tch session. Sometimes we come here just to let off steam or see if others are having a similar issue. So take things said on the forum seriously, but not too seriously.

[Michael Pelletier]

I don't know who this David C. Lent is but he comes across as rather condescending and disrespectful.

Yeah, no kidding about that. Snotty and defensive is not the kind of tone one likes to hear from one's employees, even if they did do an impeccable job on the Bedford Road reconstruction after the floods and on road clearing this winter. Surely everyone's aware of RSA 91A and the fact that there are virtually no written communications of public employees which are not public, and as such, a public employee shouldn't write something in an official capacity which they wouldn't want to see printed in the newspaper.

A question that remains is why McQuestion is suffering overly delaminations. Insufficient tack coat? Poor surface prep? Low temperatures? And was there a subcontractor who did the overlay who we can get to do warranty repairs, perhaps? Of course, given the DPW's extensive experience, I'm sure those questions are being asked and the problem accounted for so that it doesn't happen again.

With the forum we often have no way to contact the complainer for more information.

Perhaps someone should inform Mr. Lent and the others of what the little "PM" button over on the right side is used for, or the "Post Reply" button at the bottom.

I, for one, contacted the DPW on two occasions a couple of years back, about a "stop ahead" sign that is an insufficient distance from the stop sign per the MUTCD and which disappears behind foliage during the summer, leading to frequent, irritating engine braking by trucks traversing the route (a low priority, of course), and about "Lake Woodbine" - a seasonal body of water just up the street here - an opportunity to fully eliminate which was squandered upon the resurfacing of the road. I even sent photos, and talked to someone in person while they were working on the road.

Perhaps if the DPW didn't still have the 2007 paving schedule on its website two and two thirds months into 2008, people would be less inclined to gripe on the forum. Perhaps the DPW should cultivate a relationship with Jim Kozubek and the other guy on the Merrimack section of the Union-Leader, and the folks over at the Journal, if they find informal bull-sessions on a web forum so irritating.

[andysinnh]

A question that remains is why McQuestion is suffering overly delaminations. Insufficient tack coat? Poor surface prep? Low temperatures? And was there a subcontractor who did the overlay who we can get to do warranty repairs, perhaps? Of course, given the DPW's extensive experience, I'm sure those questions are being asked and the problem accounted for so that it doesn't happen again.

McQuestion road is in one of the worst "spots" in terms of environmental impacts. It's on the edge of a granite hill, gets virtually no sun in the spots that are breaking up, and (frankly) needs to be rebuilt to the point of digging all of the layers up. Notice how most of the potholes are on the Northbound lane - which also happens to be the side that's nearer the side with the granite hill. The water comes down the hill and sits there on and under the road, with no real chance for the water to continue down the slope towards the marshlands for the Souhegan. It's definitely a road in need of some serious reconstruction. In many ways, it's similar to the way the sloping corner further down on McQuestion as you get nearer the baboosic Lake rd intersection. That section of road was completely rebuilt several years ago, helping to improve the drainage coming down the hill at that corner, and it's held up very well...

andy

[Tom Williams]

McQuestion road is in one of the worst "spots" in terms of environmental impacts. It's on the edge of a granite hill, gets virtually no sun in the spots that are breaking up, and (frankly) needs to be rebuilt to the point of digging all of the layers up. Notice how most of the potholes are on the Northbound lane - which also happens to be the side that's nearer the side with the granite hill. The water comes down the hill and sits there on and under the road, with no real chance for the water to continue down the slope towards the marshlands for the Souhegan. It's definitely a road in need of some serious reconstruction. In many ways, it's similar to the way the sloping corner further down on McQuestion as you get nearer the baboosic Lake rd intersection. That section of road was completely rebuilt several years ago, helping to improve the drainage coming down the hill at that corner, and it's held up very well...

andy

If you think that spot on McQuestion northbound is bad, just turn left on Wilson Hill after you make your way across the McQuestion pothole family. Last fall, Wilson Hill was resurfaced from just beyond Harrington Drive up to the Town line, but the section from Wilson Hill to Harrington was not touched. While there are some respectable potholes and "delaminations" on this 0.6 mile stretch of road, the features which most threaten the vehicles driving on it are frost heaves and foundation deterioration.

Just after you make the turn, you should move to the left and straddle the line or else your oil pan may be taken out buy a frost heave (hope there is no one coming the other way). This particular road feature is particularly devilish after a rain, when the depression in the center of the road fills with water and obscures the extent of the wrinkle. Then a few hundred yards further down, you should straddle the center line again to avoid the spot where the side of the road has collapsed and been washed away completely. Watch out if you are driving a Mini Cooper (and you avoided bottoming out at the frost heave), you may roll over if you don't swerve around this shoulder collapse.

[joe179]

...Woodland and Hartwood: There are some potholes. We were first notified on March 13 by Clare Graham and repairs have been put on the list. We have not heard from any Joe179. This morning’s work schedule indicates that these repairs are being made today...

I ask that if you see problems or have issues to please contact the department or the Town Manager to express your concerns. Any repairs made at this time of year are temporary by definition. The weather is still difficult and the precipitation and the frost in the ground make it very difficult. Areas of Amherst Road that were cold patched 7-10 days ago are breaking up again. This town does a better then average job on maintaining roads. This has been a particularly harsh winter. As you can see from the above, it takes about 6 calendar days to make it to the top of the list.

Tom,

Thank you for addressing this. It' comforting to know the Council is keeping watch on this situation.

I just checked the potholes at the intersection of Woodland and Hartwood. There were 2--- now there is one. The DPW patched the larger one in the center but left the smaller one (approximately 2 feet x 1 foot in size) that is about 4 feet away. I find this odd as folks traveling east and turning right from Hartwood onto Woodland must veer around the pothole that was left unattended.

I have no problem contacting the DPW with pothole and other road related concerns. As a matter of fact, the DPW taking inputs from the public is a good thing. I would assert that the DPW also bears some responsibility to monitor road conditions and act accordingly. The issue with these 2 particular potholes indicates the DPW was either unprepared or unwilling to fix the subject potholes in toto...

[Tom Mahon]

Joe,

The DPW and the PD are working on this. DPW is doing the monitoring and patch work and PD is assisting with monitoring the location potholes and condition of roads. Other than alerting the manager to the thread, I have not made any reports to the DPW. I have been monitoring the roads that I frequent and the DPW has worked on (I hardly dare say 'fix' at this time of year) spots within days of my noticing the problem. So the reporting time and scheduling time noted in Dave Lent's e-mail seems to be the norm for this time of year.

[Tom Williams]

We all gripe about potholes and winter damaged roads just like we gripe about the weather and the price of gasoline. But let's take a moment to recognize that the DPW really has their hands full this year. It's bad enough the amount of snow and ice that they have had to manage, now potholes, frost heaves and delaminations are popping up like crocus and daffodils in the spring. It's a big job, and I am pleased to see many of the potholes filled in day by day.

Kudos to DPW.

[worksintown]

We all gripe about potholes and winter damaged roads just like we gripe about the weather and the price of gasoline. But let's take a moment to recognize that the DPW really has their hands full this year. It's bad enough the amount of snow and ice that they have had to manage, now potholes, frost heaves and delaminations are popping up like crocus and daffodils in the spring. It's a big job, and I am pleased to see many of the potholes filled in day by day.

Kudos to DPW.

Imagine how bad the roads could be if we had all those "volunteers" plowing the roads as opposed to the professionals the Town employs and/or contracts.....LOL