The state expects to negotiate with four landowners for property to accommodate two roundabouts in Jaffrey center after a final public hearing on the project this fall.
The state’s Department of Transportation plans to hold a final public hearing on traffic calming measures downtown in August or September, said Marty Kennedy, the consultant project manager for the project. At that point, they will begin to negotiate with landowners.
The project includes two roundabouts. One of the roundabouts will be at the five-way intersection of Routes 202 and 124, Stratton Road and Blake Street.
In order to accommodate the roundabout, the state expects to acquire the entirety of the property currently occupied by the Lab ‘n Lager pub.
The second roundabout will be on River Street, and the state would need to acquire the entirety of a residential apartment complex on River Street, as well as parts of properties at 19 and 21 River Street, which should not impact the buildings on those parcels.
A bridge built between Blake Street and River Street, connecting the two roundabouts, is also proposed.
Doni Ash, owner of the Lab ‘n Lager and the property, said he has not been in contact with representatives from the DOT for six months, and has never received a definite answer about whether his business will be impacted. He has not had any offers on his property from the state, or been contacted to negotiate a compensation package, he said. But he has no plans to move shop, he said.
“We’re running business as usual,” he said. “This year has been the best first five months we’ve had so far – I have no intention of selling the property.”
Ash added that he has not made any plans for what he will do if the property is taken by emminent domain, saying that even if he must move, construction on the project is not set to begin for another three years.
Kennedy said the state will approach landowners after the final public hearing, and said the intent is to make every effort to negotiate a selling price with them before taking any property by eminent domain.
“The state doesn’t want to take possession of any property by force,” he said.
Construction on the roundabouts is expected to take place in 2022, and take two years.
Ash said aside from the impact to his business, he’s not in favor of the changes to the intersection, saying the bridge over the Contoocook will allow vehicles to bypass the downtown, and long-term construction will deter people from stopping downtown to patronize the businesses.