The NH Route 12 repair work began on January 3, 2022.  The contractor, Casella, successfully acquired the Right-of-Entry from the New England Central Railroad (NECR).  Prior to starting any excavation work within the railroad right-of-way, Casella was required to monitor the track for seven (7) days. The baseline monitoring has been completed. This initial monitoring created a baseline for typical track movement while trains are operating.  The baseline can then be compared to any vibrations during soil nail wall drilling, excavating the roadway, and rebuilding the roadway and slope.

Once the initial monitoring period was complete, Casella was able to begin roadway work by removing existing guardrail, clearing and removal of trees necessary in the slope failure, and building temporary roads for railroad right-of-way access. The temporary roads are the first phase of the soil nail wall construction.  

In addition to the track monitoring, Casella needs to install additional equipment to monitor the stability of the railroad embankment. This work will entail some intermittent disruption of power in the immediate area.  The monitoring devices and power disruptions should be completed this week.

The project is moving forward.  Casella is close to completing the necessary submittals to finish ordering materials.  The project is on-schedule through January 2022 due to Casella’s attentiveness, the railroad’s responsiveness to requests, and the Department’s Bureau of Construction staff anticipating questions and concerns.  

I hope this information provides a good picture of the cooperative efforts and the progress that has been made. 

My Best,

Kathy

Kathleen Mulcahey-Hampson

Legislative Liaison

Senior Hearings Examiner, NHDOT