After Delays, Mt. Orne Bridge Nears Re-Opening

Paul Hayes phayes@littletonrecord.com Staff Writer Feb 11, 2024 Updated Feb 11, 2024

 

 

LANCASTER — The Mt. Orne Covered Bridge is expected to re-open by the end of February.

The cross-state bridge connecting Lancaster and Lunenburg has been closed since it was struck by an oversized vehicle on Nov. 10.

Arnold M. Graton Associates Inc. of Holderness repaired the damage in late December.

However, the Connecticut River bridge remains closed until mitigation measures are implemented.

Those measures are expected to include traffic control signage (stop, yield), reflective road markings, and crash bars on either side of the 266-foot-long Howe truss bridge.

On Monday, town Manager Ben Gaetjens-Oleson told the Select Board those measures should be in place later this month, allowing for the bridge to be re-opened.

While the Mt. Orne bridge has been closed, cross-state traffic has been detoured to the Lancaster-Guildhall crossing (5 miles north) and Dalton-Gilman crossing (5.5 miles south).

“There has been some frustration from some residents expressed to me,” said Selectman Leon Rideout, “but I did tell them what we were looking to do, and they seemed all right with that.”

“I can appreciate their frustration, Gaetjens-Oleson said, “but I can also appreciate the fact that no [oversized] trucks have driven through the bridge since we closed it.”

The crash bars, 2x6 boards hung from the bridge portals on chains, would include a “low clearance” message in reflective lettering.

Also called headache bars, they warn vehicles exceeding the 12-foot-9 height limit to stop before striking the 112-year-old span.

Crash barriers have already been installed at covered bridges elsewhere, such as the Saco River Bridge in Conway, N.H.

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation will put up the signage, and Graton Associations will install the crash bars.

“We’ll see how these measures go,” Rideout said. “Hopefully, they’ll be successful for many years, and we won’t have to deal with this again.”

Meanwhile, the state legislature is considering two bills to increase protections for New Hampshire’s 58 covered bridges, including the Mt. Orne Covered Bridge.

House Bill 1217 would permit municipalities to use video surveillance to identify hit-and-run drivers.

According to the bill’s supporters, HB 1217 would help towns and cities levy fines and recoup costs for expensive bridge repairs.

House Bill 1457, which would increase fines for height and weight limit violations to $500 if the bridge is not damaged, $1,000 if the bridge is damaged, and $2,000 if the incident “substantially impedes the flow of traffic.”

Legislators justified the fines by pointing to the damage caused by oversized vehicles and the immense cost of repairs — even if bridges aren’t struck.

The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee has recommended HB 1217 as ought to pass, 18-0.

The House Transportation Committee is expected to take action on HB 1217 sometime next week.