Antrim is starting to plan for the replacement of the Liberty Farm Road bridge over the North Branch of the Contoocook River, which was damaged by flooding three years ago. The bridge is currently open but is slated for total replacement by 2030.
Antrim Road Agent Tyler Tommila said the town is beginning the planning process now to ensure Antrim can put enough money aside for the project before construction starts, which is slated for 2027-2028. The town is seeking aid from the state, Tommila said, which will reimburse Antrim for 80% of the total cost of the project.
“A lot of people don’t realize that although the state will reimburse 80%, the town has to pay for the entire project up front,” Tommila said. That reimbursement will become available in 2030.
According to a 2025 estimate by the state DOT, the total cost of construction for a new bridge is projected at about $1.2 million.
On Monday, the Antrim Select Board passed a motion to continue working with Turner Group, a pre-qualified engineering and design group that consults for the state Department of Transportation and is familiar with Antrim and the Liberty Farm Road bridge, to create the engineering and design plan for the project.
“It can take two years to do engineering, design and the permits, so we are trying to be proactive and get the engineering done and have everything in place to get started for when the bridge funding becomes available,” Tommila said. “Turner Group will come up with a design that is suitable for the town and for the state.”
Estimates for engineering and design plan landed at $249,472 as of 2025, and will come from the town’s engineering and bridges capital reserve fund, though Tommila stressed that the actual cost will probably go up due to inflation.
“Everything is driven by the cost of asphalt, and the cost for that is absolutely horrendous right now. Asphalt prices are through the roof, ” Tommila said.
The Liberty Farm Road bridge was already slated for replacement on the state Department of Transportation’s 10-year plan when the July 2023 flooding occurred, Tommila said.
“The time frame on replacing the bridge has not changed,” he said. “In 2023, after the flash flooding, the state inspected the bridge and did masonry repairs underneath to secure it to the abutments, and they did new paving and guardrail work.”
The bridge replacement will be a significant inconvenience for the residents of Liberty Farm Road, Tommila said, as the bridge will have to be closed during construction. The only other access to the northern portion of Liberty Farm Road is via a steep Class VI road that runs from Stacey Hill Road to Old North Branch Road. Residents of Liberty Farm Road used the Class VI road to access their homes during the flooding in 2023.
“We will need to look at the options available for a detour for people who live there, and we’re not sure exactly what’s up there. It’s steep, and it’s a rough road, and it would not be a great option in the winter, ” Tommila said. “Some sort of temporary access will be needed during construction, as the bridge will be closed.”
Tommila said the Liberty Farm Road bridge has always been one lane.
It’s the last of Antrim’s 18 bridges slated for replacement in recent years.
“That’s the last one on our capital plan to be replaced, so we are actually in a good spot with this,” Tommila said.