No injuries after rain washes roads out east of Winnipesaukee

Dozens of roads and a few sections of highway were damaged in Alton, Gilmanton and Wolfeboro this weekend after heavy rainfall. For the last few weeks, the Lakes Region was spared from torrential rains that caused washouts in the western section of the state and devastating floods across neighboring Vermont. But on Sunday the luck ran out, with heavy water destroying a large swath of Route 140 just outside downtown Alton. So far, there have been no reports of fatalities or major injuries, though cars and basements were damaged.

“It’s just amazing, the devastation that water can cause,” said Alton resident Jean Gruntkosky, as she and her husband Bill observed cleanup efforts along Route 140.

“We didn’t have any cars going by our house since yesterday morning,” Jean said Monday. “It was closed both directions [Sunday] night.”

The couple had not seen this level of water damage in their 22 years of residency. “There was a flood before we moved here,” Jean said. “A dam let go and somebody was killed.”

In March 1996, the Meadow Pond Dam, located just north of the destroyed section of Route 140, broke. The ensuing torrent of water killed Lynda Sinclair, 48, after it washed her and her pickup truck into a ravine. Nearly 30 years later, that same stretch of Route 140 is once again destroyed.

Staff from Alton Public Works were busy repairing and clearing out at least two dozen town roads on Monday. Orange detour signs had sprouted like artificial flowers, diverting traffic off popular roads like Route 11 outside of town.

As crews removed chunks of earth and shattered asphalt, the Gruntkoskys said they had no idea when their road would be open.

“I looked on a public works Facebook page or something this morning and they said at least two weeks, they thought,” Jean said. “I’m not sure, but they look like they’re doing a good job and making progress already.”

Julie and David White, who frequent the area for vacation, echoed that sentiment.

“I’m actually amazed to see how fast they’re getting so much heavy equipment in and moving stuff to repair and trucks going,” David said after an excavator operator paused their work to allow his family to walk past the sunken section of Route 140. “Credit to the town for really taking the initiative to try and get this taken care of, for sure.”

The Whites were on vacation with their two boys from their new home in Saudi Arabia, a stark, dry contrast to the humid and rainy green lands of New Hampshire.

“We don’t see rain at all,” said Julie. “So from the desert to this.”

On Sunday, the family drove across that section of Route 140 just 30 minutes before it collapsed.

“We went down to Alton yesterday around 1 p.m. and our friend called us a half hour later and said that 'The road you just drove down is gone now,'” Julie said.

“I reflect on that, and it’s a little scary to think about,” David said.

Alton was not the only Lakes Region town to suffer washouts. A large sinkhole on Route 28 in Wolfeboro was also reported.

“We still have about 20 state roads that are closed or opened to one lane in some cases,” said Richard Arcand, New Hampshire Department of Transportation public information administrator. “Engineers are reviewing the damage and will be developing plans to make repairs. Once we know how long it will take, that information will be released.”

Despite the damage to roadways, Arcand said he was not aware of any major injuries or deaths tied to the rainfall.

Due to the volume of road efforts in Alton, staffing in the Alton Public Works office was sparse Monday. One employee estimated at least a few dozen town roads had been affected, with calls continuing to come in as of Monday afternoon.