Canaan takes steps to close Gristmill Hill Road bridge

CANAAN — Canaan officials will post a 3-ton load limit to Gristmill Hill Road bridge this week in anticipation of closing it later this summer.

“A significant hole has developed in the bridge,” interim Canaan town administrator Jack Wozmak wrote in a town newsletter Friday about the town-owned bridge that crosses the Indian River and is on the New Hampshire Department of Transportation’s “2022 Municipal Bridge Red List,” which tracks bridges in need of major repairs/replacements in the state. “The deterioration is extensive. This bridge is slated for replacement within the next couple years (as quickly as possible) and is currently at the beginning stages of design and permitting.”

The bridge connects Gristmill Hill Road to Route 4 near Dollar General.

At its July 15 meeting, the Selectboard voted to close the bridge, but cannot do so until after further consultations with the NH DOT, Wozmak said in a phone interview Monday. He expects the bridge will close sometime in mid-August.

Wozmak added that emergency vehicles are already using alternative routes.

The town will hold a public meeting about the bridge at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1, at the EOC, 52 Route 118.