The reopening of the Island Street bridge in Keene, N.H., has been delayed for the second time in the last two months and is now set for a March 2024 opening, according to Brett Rusnock, the city's civil engineer and Winchester Street reconstruction project manager.
The replacement of the bridge, which carries traffic over the Ashuelot River, was originally slated for completion on Oct. 15 but was postponed until December. Work is now expected to conclude at the end of February, he said, adding that the delays stem from multiple factors.
"The structures at the northern limit of the bridge are very close to the construction," Rusnock told the Keene Sentinel for a story published Nov. 16, adding that one retaining wall for the project is 6 ft. from the closest structure. "[The project] has to proceed very slowly to limit impacts to that structure."
Overhead power lines also have caused project work to slow, he said.
"The contractor has been working very closely with Eversource to relocate power service lines as needed," Rusnock elaborated. "Everyone is working very diligently. It just takes a lot of extra time."
The first delay was partially due to a Liberty Utilities request to add a gas pipeline onto the bridge site in 2022, the Sentinel reported in October. At the time, final paving was planned for the spring, and he said Nov. 15 that it would likely still occur then.
Newport, N.H.-based B.U.R. Construction is responsible for the overall Winchester Street reconstruction, which includes the Island Street bridge rebuild, while E.D. Swett Inc. in Concord serves as the main contractor for the bridge.
There may be additional costs from the delay, something the city is anxious to hear about, he noted in speaking with the Keene newspaper.
"Thank you to the community for their patience during this project," he said. "We know it's a big deal and a big inconvenience for everybody."
Entire Corridor an Important Keene Gateway
Winchester Street serves as a key gateway to the heart of Keene. Its reconstruction will improve the corridor from the New Hampshire Highway 101 roundabout to the Island Street bridge. New roundabout intersections at Key Road and Riverside Plaza as well as at Pearl and Island streets are included in the plan.
In line with the city's Complete Streets Policy, the Winchester Street project will address the needs of all users of the corridor including bicyclists and pedestrians.
Recent work at the jobsite has included:
- Completion of final curbing, sidewalk, paving and pavement markings.
- Installation of fencing along the new retaining wall and stormwater detention basin.
- Completion of landscaping within the Island Street/Pearl Street roundabout.
- Concrete pile cap construction for the southern abutment of the Island Street bridge.
- Installation of sheet pile retaining walls at the northern abutment of the bridge.
- Bearing pile installation for the bridge's northern abutment.
The city also listed the tasks that still needed to be accomplished as of Nov. 7:
- Final landscaping throughout the bioretention system along the median of Winchester Street north of Key Road.
- Landscaping along the vegetated treatment swale near the Winchester Street bridge over the Ashuelot River.
- Guardrail installation near the Winchester Street bridge.
- Installation of the push-button pedestrian crosswalk beacons at the Island Street/Pearl Street roundabout.
- Continued bearing pile installation and concrete pile cap construction for the northern abutment of the Island Street bridge.
After receiving the most recent construction schedule for the replacement of the Island Street bridge, Keene officials explained on the city's project webpage that they "suspected that the completion date of Dec. 22 was no longer realistic" before the update.
In addition, they told residents and business owners, "We understand [the postponement] may create continued hardship for those who rely on the Island Street bridge, and we appreciate your patience. We continue to work closely with our contractor to identify further potential delays before they occur."
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