FRANCESTOWN (AP) - Traffic flows through Francestown on a narrow road with patches of cracked asphalt and a notorious blind left at one end, leaving Jim Howe and his wife, who live on the road, feeling as though they're playing "some horrible video game" every time they pull out of their driveway.
The closing of two nearby bridges created the detour. They're among nearly 500 bridges across New Hampshire that are deteriorating, including some built more than 100 years ago that are still in use, according to state Department of Transportation data. But money to pay for repairs over the next decade is already spoken for, leaving towns not on the list with the tough choice of whether to pay for bridge repairs themselves, or close their bridges and wait for state money.
"Municipal bridges are the time bombs in our infrastructure system," said Rep. David Campbell of Nashua, chairman of the House Public Works and Highway Committee.
Twenty-four cities and towns have four or more bridges that are deficient in some way.![]()
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