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In November 2022, City Council voted to pursue a Feasibility Study for a deck park and pedestrian river bridge (or similar improvement plan) to meaningfully and safely connect our city over the highway and to connect Downtown with the Merrimack River. This Monday, June 12th from 7-9pm, Council will be voting whether to allocate $200,000 to move forward with the study. Item 19A in the agenda here. Please show up on Monday in support of the Feasibility Study funding!
What can you do?
Show up on Monday in support of funding the feasibility study! Monday 7-9pm City Chambers
Bring your friends and neighbors to testify, and spread the word!
Write your City Council AND the City Clerk! Here are their emails for you to cut and paste:
pierce4council@comcast.net, brenttoddconcord@gmail.com, JKretovic@concordnh.gov, kmcnamaraward4@gmail.com, sfbrown@concordnh.gov, pwmclaughlin24@gmail.com, knyhan@concordnh.gov, gmatson@concordnh.gov, cwbouchard@concordnh.gov, zricehawkins@concordnh.gov, agradysexton@concordnh.gov, nfennessy@concordnh.gov, fkeach@concordnh.gov, chamby@comcast.net, jpbouley@comcast.net, cityclerk@concordnh.gov
A deck park and river bridge benefit our city by:
Connecting us to the Merrimack River, our greatest natural resource, maximizing our city's potential.
Creating a waterfront focal point for community connection, recreation, and enjoyment that will tie into the Kiwanis Waterfront improvement plan.
Increasing economic opportunities, making Concord a sought-after tourist destination and reducing pressure on residential taxes.
Providing a safe and inviting connection for pedestrians and cyclists, increasing walkability, rollability, and ADA accessibility, reducing car-dependency, and improving commerce and business flow.
Lessening the damage caused by the highway to the urban landscape, promoting sustainable development, and reducing noise.
Bridging the socioeconomic divide by providing improved access to downtown for ALL residents, improving civic engagement and access to public resources.
Acting as a symbol of community unity and pride.
Actualizing the vision for a deck park/bridge in Concord's long-standing Master Plan.
Why now?
NHDOT is moving forward with 20+ year old plans to widen I-93 from 4 to 8 lanes (6 at points) between Bow through Exit 15, due to federal infrastructure funds being released. I-93 runs right through the middle of our city, exacerbating a socio-economic and racial divide, damaging the urban landscape and natural environment, dividing resources, limiting sustainable development, significantly contributing to fossil fuel emissions, and degrading our greatest public resource, the Merrimack river. Currently, NHDOT is gathering requested traffic data and will likely be back in the near future to present their findings.
Together, let's make the deck park/bridge a reality and shape the future of Concord.
Gratefully,
Concord Greenspace