I-293 Bridge Closure Could Lead to "Traffic Nightmare"

BEDFORD, NH - Some local and state officials have warned the closure and repair of the Interstate 293 bridges connecting Bedford to Manchester could lead to “nightmare” traffic conditions in the area. According to NewHampshire.com, scheduled a meeting next month to detail detours and ramp closures with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT), will be held Thursday, May 10, at 6 p.m., at Highland-Goffe’s Falls Elementary School, 2021 Goffs Falls Road in Manchester.

The work will be done in two phases — kicking off in April 2019 — during which traffic on the three-lane bridges will have to be condensed into two lanes.Complicating that traffic squeeze is that the Brown Avenue on-ramp to I-293 North/101 West will be closed during some phases of construction.

Those closings will force drivers looking to access I-293 North from Brown Avenue to get onto 293 South and do a U-turn at Exit 1 near the Mall of New Hampshire.

“With all the traffic already going eastbound, getting off at Exit 1 would be a nightmare,” said Alderman Barbara Shaw of Ward 9, where the ramps are located, during a meeting with state officials last fall.

According to a presentation given to Bedford and Manchester officials last year, the bridges were built in 1958, and renovated in 1991. Each bridge is 914 feet long, 55 feet wide and carries three 12-foot travel lanes.

Structural issues include failing expansion joins, water leaks and cracking. Fixes would likely include expansion joint replacement, repaving and new bridge piers. According to officials, the work could take almost three months to finish.

To read the full article, visit New Hampshire.com