Executive Councilor Janet Stevens Advocates For New Castle1B Causeway

Press release from District Three Executive Councilor Janet Stevens' Office:

April 23, 2023

Executive Councilor Janet Stevens met with New Castle residents and elected officials to discuss the status of the NH Route 1B Causeway project, which aims to mitigate and avoid impacts to the Causeway due to sea level and storm surges. The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NH DOT) has provided favorable feedback regarding the findings of a feasibility study and the project, and it is now progressing with the evaluation of financing mechanisms and strategies for potential inclusion in New Hampshire’s Ten-Year Transportation Improvement Plan for the years 2025-2032.

“On December 12, 2022, the findings of the NH Route 1B Causeway study was presented to determine the feasibility of modifications of 1B Causeway due to increased flooding susceptibility. Just eleven days later, on December 23, 2022, flood waters overtopped the causeway during a storm surge, causing damage and rendering the road impassable. Residents became increasingly alarmed, prompting me to accelerate work with NH DOT Commissioner Bill Cass and the New Castle select board to prioritize this infrastructure project. The 1B Causeway, which dates back to colonial times, is one of two access points to the island and Causeway closures could potentially reduce or server access to emergency services and compromise the safety of New Castle residents – this is an infrastructure priority," said Executive Councilor Stevens.

Recognizing the importance of the project, Governor Sununu lent his support to the initial contract that was awarded to facilitate a feasibility study. “I want to thank Councilor Stevens for working to get the 1B Causeway into the Ten-Year Transportation Plan. A great project for the Seacoast," said Governor Sununu.

The preferred alternative identified in the feasibility study involves raising the NH 1B Causeway by three feet and lifting other low lying areas on Route 1B.

Executive Councilor Stevens identified funding as the top priority, followed by meeting permitting requirements, addressing environmental constraints, and managing labor/workforce shortages amidst unprecedented competition in the construction sector. The NH DOT is closely monitoring the Federal Highway Administration’s Notice of Funding for potential funding opportunities, with Commissioner Cass highlighting the suitability of the FHWA's Discretionary Resiliency Funding for At Risk Coastal Infrastructure and Community Resilience and Evacuation Routes for the 1B Causeway project. The Town of New Castle has applied for Congressional Directed Funding as well.

Stevens, serving on the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Intermodal Transportation (GACIT) as an Executive Councilor, holds public hearings throughout New Hampshire to review and gather feedback on the Ten-Year Transportation Improvement Plan. Despite this, New Castle did not participate in any of the six hearings held in 2021 throughout District Three. Stevens has encouraged residents to attend and testify in support of the infrastructure project's inclusion in the next Ten-Year Plan during the first upcoming GACIT hearing in Brentwood in late September.
During the series of meetings with New Castle constituents, Executive Councilor Stevens discussed the Wentworth Bridge project, which is currently awaiting approval from the United States Coast Guard on a Navigation Impact Report.

“The Bridge Program Manager for the First Coast Guard District has stated that a Preliminary Navigation Determination letter to the NH DOT will be issued shortly. This Red-List bridge project has been at an impasse prior to my being elected and I will continue to monitor and urge the U.S. Coast Guard to finalize their decision”, according to Stevens.

This press release was produced by District Three Executive Councilor Janet Stevens' Office. The views expressed here are the author's own.