Last week, while we were twiddling our thumbs and waiting for something to revelate, we received this e-mail from Larry Nieder:
“As a lifelong resident of Concord, I am wondering why Route 106 in Concord by the Steeplegate Mall (also known as Sheep Davis Road) is being repaved. Route 106 is in near pristine condition and is not in need of new tar. In fact, it is one of the best roads we have in the city, let alone the state.
It just seems to the ordinary citizen to be a huge waste of money to rip up perfectly good tar to put down more perfectly good tar. Especially when you contrast it to Route 129 just up the road in Loudon. Route 129 runs from Route 106 a few miles up to Route 107. (Route) 129 is in a total state of disrepair.
I have witnessed this repaving of good roads over and over again throughout the state. Interstate 93 through the southbound 101 merge is an other example. Can't the money and resources be directed in a much more efficient manner?”
Jackpot! An opportunity to showcase our investigative reporting skills! To prepare, we purchased camouflage clothing, a pair of glasses with a mustache attached and a Sherlock Holmes hat. We were ready to camp out and hide in trees along Route 106 when we realized there had to be an easier way. We called state Department of Transportation spokesman Bill Boynton.
Boynton, knowing we're a force to be reckoned with, immediately contacted Eric Thibodeau of the DOT's Materials and Research Bureau's pavement management section. Here's what he had to say:
“The work on Route 106 is a pavement preservation project and consists of a ¾ inch overlay of the existing pavement. The goal of a preservation project is to resurface roads while they are in good condition in order to keep them in good condition and prevent future more expensive rehabilitation projects.
“NHDOT has found that by applying preservation type treatments in a timely manner, we can maintain roadways at a higher level of service/better condition for less money, thus preventing the roadway from deteriorating to a condition like NH Route 129.
'The pavement preservation approach to maintaining roadways is analogous to changing the oil, rotating tires and performing other routine maintenance on your vehicle.
Also, due to limited funding, when selecting roadways for preservation or rehabilitation treatments, the NHDOT gives preference to the higher volume roadways like interstates, NH 101 and NH 106.
“NH 129 was last resurfaced in 2003. NHDOT is currently working on the list of roads to be resurfaced next year, and NH 129 is the fifth priority for highway maintenance district 3, so it will be resurfaced next year.”
So, wait, did Thibodeau just answer our question in one e-mail? Darn you, DOT for ruining our dreams of being investigative reporters.
Whatever. We're keeping the Sherlock Holmes hat.
