Plans to improve Belmont intersection probably moved back at least 10 years

A plan to improve one of the Lakes Region’s busiest intersection has been pushed back — and may not be done for at least 10 years now, according to an official with the NH Department of Transportation (DOT).

More than two years ago, DOT Project Manager Alex Vogt told town fathers that the DOT was going to make significant renovations to the intersection of Route 106 and 140 in 2006. A public hearing was held in town where state officials talked about adding turning lanes to both state roads to facilitate traffic flow through the busy commuter area.

“Back in ’06 it was planned for us to go out with a paving project (but) it got held up because of priorities and funding (difficulties),” he said last week.

Vogt said the local project is now included in the DOT’s $3,750,000 resurfacing plan for Route 106 which will cover the area from the New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon north to the Belmont town line. (The town line is actually more than a mile south of the 106/140 intersection but Vogt said the resurfacing project would likely continue to the crossroads.)

That whole project has now been pushed back to “the end the (DOT’s) 10-year plan,” he said.

“The governor (John Lynch) just sent it (the 10-year plan) to the Legislature for approval,” Vogt explained.

(See related story on page 1). “The project is really been deferred beyond the 10-year plan… It isn’t really moving forward. It will be after 2018 — if we have the money.”

However Vogt noted that the DOT’s 10-year project plan is reviewed by state officials every two years so the local work could be moved up if officials decide that priorities have changed.

Vogt also indicated there’s a chance the intersection could be completed sometime in the next two years if some utility-related problems could be resolved. The issues are related to moving town sewer and water lines, as well as privately owned power company and/or phone lines.

“We’re trying to get it done in 2008 but there’s a numbers of issues we’re trying to resolve in order to get it done,” he said. “Some of them (the problems) are just having the time for the utilities to move, and we have to coordinate that for some of the power lines.

“We need to look at that,” he added. “We’d want to minimize the impact of that because it will cost the town money to relocate (its utilities). And I don’t think the town has a lot of money to spend this year on that.”

If those issues can be worked out there is a possibility the local intersection project could be started this summer and completed the following year, Vogt said.

The DOT’s plans call for adding a left-hand turning lane on Route 106 heading north (from Concord), a left-hand turning lane on Route 140 heading west (toward Gilmanton), and both left and right-hand turning lanes on Route 106 going south (toward Concord). Each lane would be about 300 feet. ?In addition, work would be done on Route 140 heading west (toward Tilton) into the intersection. “We’ve had a lot of problems with trucks turning there,” said Vogt when the project was discussed in Oct. 2005. “They need more room. We don’t want them going out into the opposing lanes. So we want to improve the radius there.”?The left-hand turning lane on Rte. 106 heading south would also be available for drivers heading north to use as a turning lane into the business parking areas on the west side of the state highway, including M & J’s Country Griddle, Brookside House of Pizza II, D & D Country Market and Deli, and Dunkin Donuts. “We don’t want it to end” serving as the left-hand turning lane for southbound drivers too close to the intersection, Vogt said. “It will be after you get far enough past the intersection.”

At the time Vogt also said the state needs to resolve some right-of-way issues with property owners whose land abuts the intersection.