Road pavement conditions are horrible.

[Lakesrider]

I don't post here much, but read almost all of the threads on the forum. I haven't seen to much talk about how horrible the roads have become around here.

Looking at the NHDOT site you can see the road condition map and that many of the roads around the lake are in the red and yellow range. (Very Poor).
I drive route 109 and 109A everyday and this winter, the top speed was in the 25 to 30 MPH range for a 40 MPH zone. If following someone unfamiliar with the road it was an on the gas off the gas, on the brakes, off the brakes, swerve out of your lane to avoid the dips, jumps and holes ordeal, for pretty much the whole 18 miles from RT25 to Wolfeboro. I called district 3 and they told me "yeah but the road is good for the other 7 months of the year so it is ok". HUH? Plus they said they had just paved it back in 2001. Now I can't remember that one. I do know they did some work starting at the Wolfeboro line and by the Tuftonboro town docks. heck these roads are not even on the the 10 year plan for paving. These roads won't last another 4-5 years at the most. Heck they are more like asphalt mosaics as it is now.
The Melvin village stretch is the worse stretch of road I have ever driven in NH. So why isn't the Town of Tuftonboro doing anything about this?
Is it just me or are people just to passive about getting the roads fixed around the Lake? I would think that 109 would be a priority as it is the major tourist route during the summer. It is also a major tour ride during bike week.
Rt 109 has so many cracks down the middle of the lanes that most of my friends refuse to even ride the road as it is simply getting too dangerous. catch you tire in one of those cracks and your done for! No wonder they are losing the numbers of bikers at the Laconia Rally. I have had quite a few comments from customers at where I work in Wolfeboro about how bad the roads have become. Have you seen Wolfeboro Main Street latley? Pot holes abound. So you know people are going to start looking elsewhere for vacation spots instead of coming up the wagontrails we now have around here. Iknow that 109 and 109A are not the only poor roads, so feel free to add those in too. Like sections of 104 by the Outpost/leather shop and 106 to name just two more.
So I guess for being a tourist driven state we just don't care about keeping the tourists coming to the area. With the economy heading into the crapper, we should be doing all we can to keep the tourists coming North!

What can be done!

[dpg]

As an "out of stater" I find the frost heaves to be very bad up there whenever I'm up in the winter. The roads get much more bumpy from them than they do around home here in Mass. They eventually lead to holes.

[dpg]

"No wonder they are losing the numbers of bikers at the Laconia Rally"

I agree this may be some of the problem with bike week, not a major factor though. Also, many residents don't really care about the bike week croud dropping in numbers. Actually most people welcome this drop that week, maybe not business owners but "everyday" residents do.

[SAMIAM]

One of th e worst I've seen is Leighton Ave in Laconia.It runs along the shore of Lake Winnisquam and looks like an earthquake hit it. Those folks pay a lot of taxes and I'd be pretty upset if I were them.You can only drive at headway speed in some sections....it's so bad that the plows can't clear it and ice builds up as much as 5-6 inches thick ,making matters worse.

[fatlazyless]

You probably know that Vermont has a basketball team in the ABA named the Frost Heaves. Now, that's what I call a good way to deal with the annual ritual of driving those bumps, without costing the state a dime. Creates a positive spin!

Anyone, how about renaming the Fishercats to the NH Potholes?

[kjbathe]

It's Springtime in New Hampshire... We got frost, and now we have heaves. I'm not an expert, but think the week of heavy rains in January followed by the continued cold temps may have kicked off the process earlier this year, but the roads don't seem much different than other years following a real winter. They'll settle down again in a few weeks

[Gearhead]

Years ago, one of my college professors said something funny: Imagine someone from the South visiting New Hampshire in the Winter, and seeing one of those "Frost Heaves" signs. He might think it's some kind of protest.

[Seeker]

Come drive 153 from Wakefield to Conway. A disaster but getting slightly better with the thaw. It was just paved last year.

[Cristen]

Does anyone know when the towns will begin fixing the roads? I hope they will get on it before bike week.

Thanks.

[mets3007]

Suppsedly in early June they are gonna put down a layer of Tar on Scenic Drive ( about time) and then another layer the week before 4th of July.

[Weirs guy]

I'd bet in a few months most of these issues will be memories. The roads are bad now, but I think this winters weather is the major culprit. Its the same old same old, tax dollars taken away from paving are used for other "more important" things.

[winnidiver]

The roads are always like this.Some years better, some years worst.If you haven't been here in the winter before, it's a experience.It is the old roads that have never been dug up and done over that are the worst.That is why 19 mile bay on 109 are great but the rest is awful.They are slowly getting better.You guys should have seen the roads around here in the 70's.
The amazing thing is by May it will all go away,the roads will be smooth again.The state will have to fix any place that has broken up such as potholes but the rest will be back to normal in a month or so.

[Slickcraft]

As noted most town roads are old roadbeds that had some gravel added and then paved. The underlying drainage issues were not addressed hence water gets under, freezes and we get the frost heaves. The solution is not simple repaving but complete reconstruction down to frost line addressing drainage issues. As the cost for complete reconstruction can approach $1 million per mile, a town with 30 or 40 miles of paved roads can take this on only over a long period of time.
With frost what goes up comes back down so by MC week, things will be better. In the mean time, speeding is kept to a minimum.

[secondcurve]

Often times people who complain about increasing tax rates are the same ones who complain that there aren't enough Marine Patrol boats, the roads are in terrible shape, etc. Get used to it folks.

[fatlazyless]

According to today's www.cmonitor.com, Belknap County has seen its' population increase from 56,325 (4/1/2000) to 61,048 (7/1/2007) which is +8.4%, while the entire state has increased from 1,235,786 to 1,315,828, which is +6.5%.

What Meredith wants is a plus-50, hockey team, and imho, the Meredith Frost Heaves is a terrific name. You just know the town and school would agree to a new ice arena faster than you can say LET"S GO FROST HEAVES! It would fill the hockey gap that exists between the Laconia-Belmont rink, and the Waterville Valley rink.

[RI Swamp Yankee]

Originally Posted by Lakesrider

......I called district 3 and they told me "yeah but the road is good for the other 7 months of the year so it is ok". ....

More correctly, the other 7 months it is "less horrible" but NOT ok. (IMHO).

[Weekend Pundit]

One of the worst I've come across so far here in the Lakes Region is Winona Road between Meredith and New Hampton. It isn't just frost heaves but the erosion and sinks in the road that make it difficult to navigate. One of the last times I traveled down that road I was behind a guy with a stake bed truck and he was having a particularly tough time considering the stiff suspension on the truck. At best he could manage 15 mph and even then he was getting bounced around inside the cab of his truck.

As far as fixing the roads: it won't happen until all of the snow is gone and the mud has dried (for the most part), otherwise any repairs would be temporary at best.

[PennyPenny]

All the roads were just dirt roads again like many years ago. We would all have to slow down, enjoy the scenery, wave to passerbys,yeild to horse and buggy, stop and talk to our neighbors etc. Just imagine life without the frostheaves and pavement. Maybe time wouldn"t pass by so quickly.

[MaidenCove07]

Originally Posted by mets3007

Supposedly in early June they are gonna put down a layer of Tar on Scenic Drive ( about time) and then another layer the week before 4th of July.

Dang, I hope they don't go too far - I live on Scenic Rd and we love watching all the drivers navigate the Scenic just past the Akwa eyesore....we keep track on a scoreboard of the one's who navigate the bumps just right (locals), the ones who smash their under carriages on them (rookies), the cusses, and the other funny things people scream, either out their windows or from the seats of bikes.

Hmmm....maybe I need more to do!

[kayakn]

Way to go FLL. Frost Heaves gets my vote. Not a bad idea actually .... from a hockey fan...

[mets3007]

I do sound effects from the back seat of the car lol like uh ah eh uga yaga and so on at each bump. Its only 1 part thats real bad right after the boardwalk until about 1/2 way down the road then the 2nd half isnt as bad.

[Weirs guy]

Originally Posted by MaidenCove07

...we keep track on a scoreboard of the one's who navigate the bumps just right (locals)...

Heck, most locals know better then to even go that way!

[Pepper]

Originally Posted by Weirs guy

Heck, most locals know better then to even go that way!

We had occassion to go that route in late December, and already it was heaving! Won't make that mistake again!

I will note that over the past few days the section of Route 11 from the Airport to Minge Cove Rd. has FINALLY begun to settle down. The daily trip back and forth over that several-mile-long obstacle course has taken it's toll on my aging car. The worst heave of all was directly at the base of Riley Road, and the first time I hit it I thought I'd ripped the oil pan off the car! (it's a little tough to see it at 4:30 in the morning)Thankfully it's almost navigable now.

No matter how bad that section got, though, it was no match for the roads leading up to Steele Hill. Wow - I can't imagine how folks that live in that area manage to deal with the conditions of those roads each winter. They were absolutely atrocious!

I would hope that over the next two weeks most of the heaves will be flattened out. Hope, hope, hope! (then we can start complaining about the black flies)

[dpg]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

According to today's www.cmonitor.com, Belknap County has seen its' population increase from 56,325 (4/1/2000) to 61,048 (7/1/2007) which is +8.4%, while the entire state has increased from 1,235,786 to 1,315,828, which is +6.5%.

What Meredith wants is a plus-50, hockey team, and imho, the Meredith Frost Heaves is a terrific name. You just know the town and school would agree to a new ice arena faster than you can say LET"S GO FROST HEAVES! It would fill the hockey gap that exists between the Laconia-Belmont rink, and the Waterville Valley rink.

Your right, you really do need a job!

[dpg]

Originally Posted by PennyPenny

All the roads were just dirt roads again like many years ago. We would all have to slow down, enjoy the scenery, wave to passerbys,yeild to horse and buggy, stop and talk to our neighbors etc. Just imagine life without the frostheaves and pavement. Maybe time wouldn"t pass by so quickly.

You can remain on the Ponderosa with the Cartwrights, I'll stay right here in the present.

[MaidenCove07]

Well I got a call from a survey company asking me if I wanted to have my property surveyed as they plan to blast on Scenic rd to re-lay the pavement and put in more sewer lines starting Monday! (Thanks for the notice guys.)
My trailer sits of 40 year old cement blocks and pieces of wood and sits less than 150 feet from the road, but this fella tried to convince me that the shaking would have little effect. HA....I'm not convinced....

I'm semi-happy to have the road repaired, but blasting???? Really????

[VitaBene]

I am going to preface my comments by saying I love NH roads in general. I split my time pretty equally between MA and NH and can see the glaring differences in road management.

MA- Roads are in general a mess. Highway transitions at bridges are terrible. However, when MA repairs a road or if a town does with MA assistance then the repaired road has to meet the current standards which includes reworking the sub grade materials, side walks, specific curbing material, etc. What this means is when MA repairs a road, it is generally pretty good for 15 years. Example- I live off Rt 106 in Mansfield MA which was newly rebuilt 15 years ago when we moved in- it is just at the point where it will need to be topcoated but overall it is worn but OK.

NH- Roads in general are in good shape. Frostheaves are terrible usually. NH is into tourist road comfort. I get a kick out of the bump signs - when you cross the bump it is barely noticable. If you see one of those posted in MA your are entering the Grand Canyon. The philosophy in NH is that they would rather put a topcoat on a road every few years on more roads but are reluctant to rebuild roads to current standards. Personally I prefer this over the MA model. For examples here I would say Rt 104 which i believe was repaved 3 years ago in the fall. Rt 25B, which was repaved 2 summers ago but was as bad the following winter. Both settled back down once the frost was out.

All I know is that the frostheaves will settle down while leaving a little more "character" in the road for those of us who prefer casual motorcycle rides on NH's beautiful winding roads. In the meantime, as Penny said, perhaps we will be able to enjoy the scenery a bit more at our slower pace!

[Weirs guy]

Originally Posted by MaidenCove07

Well I got a call from a survey company asking me if I wanted to have my property surveyed as they plan to blast on Scenic rd to re-lay the pavement and put in more sewer lines starting Monday! (Thanks for the notice guys.)
My trailer sits of 40 year old cement blocks and pieces of wood and sits less than 150 feet from the road, but this fella tried to convince me that the shaking would have little effect. HA....I'm not convinced....

I'm semi-happy to have the road repaired, but blasting???? Really????

Question, how will we know the blasted parts from the rest of the crappy road?

[Pepper]

Originally Posted by Weirs guy

Question, how will we know the blasted parts from the rest of the crappy road?

SO true!

[Hottrucks]

Originally Posted by MaidenCove07

Well I got a call from a survey company asking me if I wanted to have my property surveyed as they plan to blast on Scenic rd to re-lay the pavement and put in more sewer lines starting Monday! (Thanks for the notice guys.)
My trailer sits of 40 year old cement blocks and pieces of wood and sits less than 150 feet from the road, but this fella tried to convince me that the shaking would have little effect. HA....I'm not convinced....

I'm semi-happy to have the road repaired, but blasting???? Really????

Ok a couple things first off the state pulled 4 Billion out of resurfacing this year...trust me I know.....

as far as blasting Best thing to do is take pics of all you blocks and any other structure you may have that you would consider fragile.....if you have any issues be sure to bring them to the site inspector Not the company...I go thru this routinely and use a seismograph meter to monitor and blasks..I think it is required on most jobs........

[hilltopper]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

What Meredith wants is a plus-50, hockey team, and imho, the Meredith Frost Heaves is a terrific name. You just know the town and school would agree to a new ice arena faster than you can say LET"S GO FROST HEAVES! It would fill the hockey gap that exists between the Laconia-Belmont rink, and the Waterville Valley rink.

There's actually an ABA Basketball team out of Burlington, Vermont called the Frost Heaves...

http://www.vermontfrostheaves.com/

[Grant]

Originally Posted by VitaBene

I am going to preface my comments by saying I love NH roads in general. I split my time pretty equally between MA and NH and can see the glaring differences in road management.

MA- Roads are in general a mess. Highway transitions at bridges are terrible. However, when MA repairs a road or if a town does with MA assistance then the repaired road has to meet the current standards which includes reworking the sub grade materials, side walks, specific curbing material, etc. What this means is when MA repairs a road, it is generally pretty good for 15 years. Example- I live off Rt 106 in Mansfield MA which was newly rebuilt 15 years ago when we moved in- it is just at the point where it will need to be topcoated but overall it is worn but OK.

NH- Roads in general are in good shape. Frostheaves are terrible usually. NH is into tourist road comfort. I get a kick out of the bump signs - when you cross the bump it is barely noticable. If you see one of those posted in MA your are entering the Grand Canyon. The philosophy in NH is that they would rather put a topcoat on a road every few years on more roads but are reluctant to rebuild roads to current standards. Personally I prefer this over the MA model. For examples here I would say Rt 104 which i believe was repaved 3 years ago in the fall. Rt 25B, which was repaved 2 summers ago but was as bad the following winter. Both settled back down once the frost was out.

All I know is that the frostheaves will settle down while leaving a little more "character" in the road for those of us who prefer casual motorcycle rides on NH's beautiful winding roads. In the meantime, as Penny said, perhaps we will be able to enjoy the scenery a bit more at our slower pace!

Great comparison. And, if I may add another perspective, I invite anyone to come sample the horror that passes for "blacktop" here in Pennsylvania. As a former highway department employee (who worked for a municipality that KNEW HOW to take care of its roads) and life-long visitor to the Lakes Region, I can honestly and authoritatively say that New Hampshire KNOWS how to maintain its roads, and does it well. Their snow removal is exceptional, and even the "backroads" that lack permanent concrete underpinnings are paved regularly. Yes, frost heaves are a mutha. But they come with the proverbial territory. Here in SE Pennsyltuckey, where this year we had, oh, approximately 112 fewer inches of snow than the Lakes Region, and maybe four truly cold days, our roads make Baghdad's look like granite counter tops. Ask any long-haul trucker, and they'll concur. When it comes to crap roads, there's no place like Pennsylvania.