Resurrecting an old debate, a committee of citizens from Hanover and Norwich, Vt., recently asked the New Hampshire Department of Transportation to widen the proposed replacement for the Ledyard Bridge by two feet to accommodate crash railings to protect pedestrians.
New Hampshire Department of Transportation Project Manager Bob Barry said, "I believe the only faction who opposes widening the bridge will be the governor of Vermont."
Residents of New Hampshire and Vermont have argued over the width of the proposed structure since last year when some Hanover residents pushed for a 55-foot span, saying a wider structure would lead to too much traffic passing through the town. The original proposal called for a 68-foot bridge.
But in January, officials from both states agreed to a width of 59 feet 10 inches.
Vermont Governor Howard Dean had threatened to withdraw Vermont's support for the $10 million project unless New Hampshire officials agreed to narrow the bridge.
"We are in a position where we can't and won't expand the bridge without [Dean's] approval ... It will be up to [the committee] to pursue the issue of widening with the governor of Vermont," Barry said.
Barry said the Department of Transportation would approve the committee's proposal pending Dean's acceptance of the new width.
Barry said his office has "been working with this committee for five or six months trying to address their concerns about the aesthetic presentation of the bridge and in regards to safety considerations."
"They felt they had a significant stake in this particular structure. The people of Hanover and Norwich look upon their communities as exhibiting a character of life they want to maintain in the essence of the structure," Barry said. "We will see what we can do to accommodate them."
The Department of Transportation has hired Christopher Carley, an architect from Concord to oversee the structure's aesthetics.
"We are trying to make the outside rail look less like an interstate guardrail and we're trying to make the abutments look more like an old-fashioned bridge. Lighting along the bridge is being considered," committee member Gordie DeWitt said.
The design also includes balconies from which pedestrians will be able to safely view the river, DeWitt said.
"The department has made a commitment in the past to make facilities that are compatible with the area, and we will continue to do so," Barry said.
Barry said traffic will not be blocked during construction of the new bridge, which will be built directly adjacent to the current bridge.
"We are putting the project out to bid around September of this year. It could be January, February or it could be April before construction begins. It depends on how the contractor wants to operate," Barry said.
