The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $3 million to the North Country Council and The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire to plan for more resilient road stream crossings in northern parts of the state.
Extreme storms have repeatedly damaged roads, bridges, and culverts across the North Country. Damage from flash floods this past June in Carroll County prompted Governor Kelly Ayotte to request a federal disaster declaration. The new grant is intended to help towns get ahead of the damage by identifying and designing flood-proof crossings before the next major storm.
Alaina Chormann, climate adaptation program manager for The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire, said the goal is to select 10 to 15 vulnerable stream crossings for future construction. The planning includes engineering studies, environmental permits, and preliminary design so that projects are ready to apply for construction funding.
“What we see as the gold standard for climate resilience these days is designing the crossing to be wide enough across the stream to accommodate a 100 year storm event,” Chormann said. She noted that extreme precipitation in the Northeast has increased roughly 60% since the 1950s.
The crossings will also be designed to allow fish and wildlife such as moose and bears to pass safely under roads, which could reduce vehicle collisions.
Chormann said small towns often lack the resources for proactive planning. “They have to decide between fixing this culvert or buying a new fire truck for their town.”
The planning phase can take years. Some similar New Hampshire projects reached preliminary design in 2018 and are only now breaking ground.
NEK will be looking into which specific crossings in Coos and Carroll counties are under consideration and how Vermont's comparable programs have fared.
Originally reported by NHPR.
Photo: Helena Jankovičová Kováčová via Pexels. Photo is illustrative and not from the scene.
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