Meredith Ctr. bridge project to cost $220K more than originally estimated

MEREDITH — A bridge repair project on busy Meredith Center Road will cost $220,000 more than expected after the structure was found to be in worse shape than anticipated, state Transportation Department officials said.

The bridge, which is near the Wicwas Grange building and Sirles Road, was built in 1937 and carries 3,800 vehicles per day. Meredith Center Road provides a major path for traffic moving between New Hampshire Route 104 and Laconia.

The full cost of the project is now expected to reach $820,000 said Richard Arcand, a program specialist with the department. The new estimate is 36 percent higher than the original one.

The department previously updated to Thanksgiving the anticipated completion date for the project, which was initially supposed to be finished by June. The completion date is now set for Nov. 15.

“The substructure of the bridge was in really poor condition and has required more time and money than we had originally anticipated,” Arcand said. “This new estimate includes additional money for labor, materials, equipment rentals, $50,000 in structural steel, and $12,000 for asbestos abatement.

“The bridge abutments require extensive concrete repair – much more than originally anticipated.”

Temporary stop lights are in use to allow traffic to share the single lane that remains open on the two-lane road.

The work on the bridge began in January. It is on the state’s “red list” of bridges needing significant work.

Andy Hall, of the department’s bridge maintenance bureau, said construction materials being used are of a higher grade than those originally used on the bridge.

“Once the bridge is restored, it should easily last beyond the lifetime of those now working on the project, he said.