Amherst Bridge Closed After Inspection

The Manchester Road/Mack Hill Road bridge was closed down on Friday after an inspection from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation.

Amherst DPW director Bruce Berry said in an email that the NHDOT determined the closure due to “no remaining safe live load carrying capacity”. The bridge was restricted to 10 tons prior.

This is expected to be a long-term closure.

Berry said that a bridge bond warrant article was passed two years ago for advanced construction on bridges like these, but a legal opinion from NHDOT no longer allowed it. This means that the 80 percent state reimbursement is not available until 2018 and, if the town works on it now, it will have to be entirely funded by taxpayers.

Possible detours to the center of town include right on Jones, left on Boston Post Road or Mack Hill to the bridge intersection, left on Manchester Road, and right on Narraganset Road to Amherst Street.