Repairs To Concord’s Main Street Crosswalks Underway

CONCORD, NH — Repairs have begun on brick paver crosswalks on North Main Street in Concord this week to fix problems with a decorative feature of the city’s $14 million reconstruction project. All of the six crosswalks on the northern side of the street were constructed with pavers on top of sand and concrete. When completed, the crosswalks will have asphalt under the pavers instead of sand, after attempts to repair the crosswalks after they were damaged did not last, according to city officials.

Officials hope the changes will create a heavy duty impermeable installation under the crosswalks. The repairs are not covered by the original contractor so taxpayers will be footing the bill, expected to be more than $100,000.

The work started at the north end of North Main Street and will continue through to Pleasant Street, according to Stefanie Breton, a public information officer with the city of Concord.

“Parking will be maintained outside the immediate construction area to the maximum extent possible,” she stated in an email.

The work will be performed between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. each day. When the crosswalk work is underway, traffic will be detoured and rerouted around the construction areas. The repairs are expected to be completed by Memorial Day weekend. Updates can be found on the city’s website, ConcordNH.gov.

Issues with the crosswalks should not be a surprise to anyone since opponents of the project and others noted that many of the design features– like pavers and cobblestones – were expensive to repair compared to other options. The pavers were described by city officials as “high-quality” and were installed to “ensure infrastructural sustainability.” During the first 20 years of the project, officials estimated that repairs to the new Main Street could be as high as $16 million.

Some of the crosswalks – including the Park Street crosswalk, outside of The Barley House and the Statehouse – appeared to not have been set properly in the first place after the roadway opened to the public four years ago. Despite ongoing issues with the reconstructed Main Street, it has won a lot of design awards and many officials have credited it for reviving the "somewhat tired" nature of the downtown.

Other City Road Repairs

According to the city’s general services department, road crews are working at a number of locations today and the rest of the week. School Street was reduced to a single lane today from Westbourne Road to Rum Hill Road due to construction. North Fruit Street was closed from Woodman to School streets for drainage work. Potholes were also paved over on Hoit Road from the Loudon town line to the Hoit Road marsh.