With the recent closure of the Martel Court bridge, many cannot help but wonder if other bridges around campus will face the same fate.
For a while now, the bridge located behind the Owl’s Nests on the Ashuelot Rail Trail has been in disrepair with rotting boards, according to previous Equinox reporting. Minor repairs have been made over the years, but no long-term solutions have been found; however, that could all change as soon as this summer.
“They’re already scheduled for repair because they’re built into the capital improvements plan, so we have money that’s been allocated for them and we are confirming next week,” said Bryan Ruoff, the City of Keene’s Civil Engineer.
The plans cover multiple city bridges, including the rail trail bridge and the bridge that goes underneath Route 101 from behind the Pondside 2 parking lot.
These two projects are among a series of repairs the city plans for this coming summer.
“They’re either owned by the state or the city. They’re not owned by Keene State. We’re aware of it, but it’s not our responsibility, nor is it our liability,” said KSC Vice President for Finance and Administration Nathalie Houder.
According to Houder, if the college were to take on maintenance of a bridge, it would also take on liability if someone were to get injured, which is why the college took immediate action in closing the Martel Court bridge, the bridge it does own.
Houder said the college recently received the structural engineer’s estimate for a bridge replacement.
“We’re waiting to get better estimates, but it’s probably close to a million dollars,” said Houder, noting that the college does not have the funding for such a project.
“We were hoping we’d be able to repair it, and then we got the engineer’s report. We know there are community members and certainly campus members that use it, and it’s unfortunate, but obviously, safety comes first,” added Houder.
Ruoff said his team has plans to begin repairs on the two city-owned bridges this summer. Houder noted that the decision about what will happen to the Martel Court bridge remains undetermined, as does whether the college could manage the hefty cost.
Xander Noel can be contacted at
xnoel@kscequinox.com
