Part of Route 9 west of village is collapsing
WILMINGTON- The state agency of transportation has closed a 500-foot section of the eastbound lane on Route 9, citing safety concerns.

The closed section is located west of the village, near the state highway’s intersection with Haystack Road. The state has blocked off the area with orange safety barrels, and has installed three temporary traffic lights, including one at the intersection with Haystack Road, to control access to the single lane.

Early this spring, the road surface cracked and half of the eastbound lane sank, leaving a noticeable dip in the road, and a dangerous gap in the center of the lane. AOT district one manager Nelson Blanchard said the worst section was filled with cold patch in anticipation of increased motorcycle traffic during “motorcycle week” in Laconia, NH. But last weekend, more of the road collapsed, prompting the road closure. “There was a little concern that it might just let go, and we decided it was better safe than sorry,” Blanchard says.

Exactly what’s causing the roadside erosion remains a mystery. Blanchard says there are a number of possibilities. Runoff from the season’s excessively wet weather could be a cause, or the area’s location on a steep and narrow section of riverbank. Blanchard says part of the riverbank is “pushing out,” about halfway between the waterline and the road – but it isn’t clear if it’s related to the sinking road.

Subsurface obstructions could also be a factor. “It could be caused by a ledge under the road that’s in a position that soil can’t adhere to it,” Blanchard says. “And water can make that happen.”

The short stretch of road has had minor problems in the past, Blanchard notes. Last year the road was resurfaced and new guardrails were installed. Blanchard says there was also some minor repair work carried out at that time.

Blanchard says AOT engineers won’t be able to design a repair for the road until the exact cause is determined. This week a survey crew has inspected and marked the site, and Blanchard says a team of investigators from the AOT’s materials and research division will drill a series of test holes to determine what’s happening under the road surface. After analyzing data from the test samples, AOT engineers will be able to design a permanent repair.

Until the road is fixed, Blanchard says motorists can expect minor delays. “We don’t expect any major delays,” he says. “We’ll keep an eye on the traffic and make adjustments to the timing of the lights if we have to. I suspect that, as summer tourism increases, we’ll have to make some adjustments. If it goes through foliage season, it will be worse.”

Local officials are hoping that the road will be repaired and back to two lanes before “leaf peepers” pour into the area for fall foliage season. “We’ll be pushing to get it fixed as soon as possible,” says Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Laura Sibilia. “Even in the summer, we can’t have one lane coming into Wilmington on the main thoroughfare.” Sibilia said it would be “absolutely unacceptable” for the eastbound lane to remain closed into the winter ski season.

Until the tests are completed and engineers have submitted a plan, Blanchard says it’s impossible to predict how long a repair might take and when it can begin. “It would be my hope that it’s completed before winter,” he says, “but I just can’t say at this time.”

Wilmington Town Manager Bob Rusten said the town urged the state to close the road and begin work on a solution as soon as possible. Rusten says the town was concerned about the prospect of a sudden collapse and major accident. “If a loaded fuel truck was coming through and the road suddenly collapsed, the whole thing could roll right into the river,” Rusten says. “That would have been a bigger problem, and somebody could get killed.”

On Wednesday afternoon, no major delays were noted at the temporary lights.

Rusten says drivers who are familiar with local roads will likely learn to deal with the “bottleneck” at the west end of town. “People in Chimney Hill will use Ray Hill Road,” he says. “The townspeople already know the ways to get around it.”