roads

Summer days may linger into September, but here at NHMA, we are ready to get back to business!  The fall is our busiest time for member workshops and training programs, as staff have been planning and preparing over the summer to get them all ready.

When Kyle Fox, Public Works Director for the Town of Merrimack, sought to address damage from the 2007 Mother’s Day flood, he understood at its onset that this would be a complex job and approached Quantum Construction Consultants, LLC (QCC), a civil and structural engineering firm based in Concord, NH, about the Town’s options.

Imagine this:

Now is the time of year for local governing bodies to begin implementation of the summer road maintenance program. Every municipality faces the issue each year, since RSA 231:3, I mandates "All Class V highways shall be constructed, reconstructed, and maintained by the city or town in which they are located... ." It is a very difficult program to administer, as there are many types of tasks to be performed the tasks are expensive and they often require the use of outside contractors.

It's sometimes referred to as a sort of "state zoning." In any town that has a planning board with subdivision authority, RSA 674:41 prohibits building on any lot unless "the street giving access" is a Class V highway or better; is shown on a subdivision or other plan approved by the planning board; or is a Class VI highway or "private road" upon which the board of selectmen has voted to authorize building permits under certain specified conditions.

Safe and efficient movement of traffic through a work zone is a primary concern for municipal public works agencies. As traffic continues to increase across New Hampshire, worker safety during road improvement projects is a top priority. The need for standardized control is especially critical when the abnormal conditions of a temporary traffic control zone make travel hazardous for the motoring public and pedestrians.