Rte. 106 to get rumble strips; meeting planned

LACONIA — Point out a single cavity scratched half an inch into the pavement along the center of the highway and many might think it’s the start of a pothole. Line up thousands of them across miles of highway and they become an effective life-saving tool called a rumble strip.

The state Department of Transportation is now planning to install them along Route 106, a busy 30-mile corridor which connects Laconia and Concord.

The department has scheduled a public meeting for Thursday, Nov. 19, to discuss the plan. The meeting, which is due to start at 6 p.m., will be held using the Zoom teleconferencing platform due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m glad to see this is happening,” said state Rep. Charlie St. Clair, who has been urging for years that the state add the road safety feature on the heavily-traveled road where there have been several fatal accidents in recent years.

“Anytime you can do something to cut down on fatalities is worthwhile,” St. Clair added.

The strips will be installed between Meredith and Pembroke along stretches where the speed limit is 40 mph or higher.

DOT said the purpose of the meeting is for the public and local officials to tell the highway agency about traffic patterns or characteristics that should be considered in deciding where the strips ought to be installed and where they should be omitted.

The department plans to install so-called sinusoidal strips, which create less external noise when motorists drift over the centerline or the edge of the roadway, but are still able to capture the driver’s attention through sound levels generated inside a vehicle.

The strips are expected to be installed sometime next year, according to DOT.

“NHDOT is installing rumble strips because they are proven to reduce head-on and run-off- the-road collisions,” Michael Dugas, DOT’s highway safety engineer, said in a letter announcing the forthcoming meeting.

The strips have been around for decades, first appearing on New Jersey highways in the early 1950s. Traffic engineers say they are effective in reducing accidents in a number of locations, including a 70 to 80 percent reduction in accidents caused by driving off the road.

Noting all the technology features in today’s vehicles – coupled with the tendency of drivers to use smartphones while driving – and St. Clair said, “Driving has become a secondary function. They get distracted. These rumble strips can snap them into reality.”

Those who want to participate in the Nov. 19 virtual meeting can go to: https://bit.ly/3l0ZXlL.