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Dear friends,
It was another big turnout at the City Council for I-93 last night! (ConcordTV link here.) A huge THANK YOU to all those who came out to be heard on the issue!
City Council voted to pursue a feasibility study on five recommendations from the "Report to Mayor & City Council" document written by Matt Walsh, the Interim Deputy City Manager. They will vote on the NHDOT’s proposal in one month’s time after reflecting on the public comment they’ve received. After several people asked for clarification, the Mayor and City Manager explained that the City’s “on-call engineers” will solicit proposals from national engineering firms with experience with these types of building projects, i.e. deck parks, river bridges, etc. Even though that isn’t mentioned in the written report, the Mayor made a verbal commitment to engaging expert firms.
From the "Report to Mayor & City Council":
“City Administration would solicit proposals from the City’s on-call engineering consultants for the purpose of engaging one of said firms to:
Identify and evaluate one or more potentially suitable locations for a bridge park, or other pedestrian bridge, over the high speed rail corridor and I-93, generally between Exit 13 and 14, to connect Downtown to the Merrimack River;
Develop concept plans for said structures, including profiles (cross sectional views) of said structure, together with layout plans, drawings and renderings therewith;
Develop plans demonstrating how said structure(s) would connect to Storrs Street, to the Merrimack River and Loudon Road (if viable);
Identify private property acquisitions and major infrastructure improvements that would be necessitated to make such structure(s) feasible;
Develop preliminary cost estimates for each concept.
Upon receiving proposals, staff would return to the City Council to seek an appropriation to fund said studies.” (REPORT TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL, Matthew R. Walsh, Interim Deputy City Manager - Development, November 14, 2022, I-93 Bow-Concord Widening Project – “Bridge Park” Concept).
Thank you City Council!
A HUGE thank you to City Council for responding to the hopes and dreams of the community! You have moved our city one step closer to accessing our beautiful river, connectivity, unity, and bringing the 20/20 vision to life. We deeply appreciate all your hard work and thoughtful consideration on this issue.
Gratefully,
The Concord Greenspace Coalition
Don’t forget!
You’re invited to the Middle School Rebuild Community Workshop on Wednesday night from 6-8pm at the City Wide Community Center. The Superintendent and School Board members will be there to listen and answer questions. Don’t miss this chance to speak up about what YOU and Concord’s children need from this project. This is a child-friendly event (we’ll have babysitters supervising coloring activities & a kid's movie).
Learn more and please RSVP here!