Wow. Am I seeing red over this little "note" from the DOT! So now it's back to "Plan A". What a surprise. If it weren't for the people who lobbied so heavily for THEIR idea of an "aesthetically pleasing" bridge over the Cold River, this project would have been done already; and the hundreds of dump trucks, logging trucks and other heavy traffic that with their daily passage have absolutely ruined Upper Walpole Road would be using Rte. 12, as they should be. Mr. Benson, whose brainchild this covered bridge was (and who, ironically, doesn't even live in Walpole!)owes the many people who DO live along Upper Walpole and the rest of the areas that have been directly impacted by this complete disruption of their lives, a huge apology, as does the DOT. Shame on all of you for not doing what was right for the people who actually USE that bridge or continue to be impacted by its nonexistence; and shame on you all for lying to us about the true costs of this project. You don't have to be an engineer or the owner of a timberframe company to see that the concrete box design would certainly have been less expensive from the get-go. If the DOT people and Mr. Benson had to live with this noise and traffic 24/7 for this long, that bridge would have been fixed long ago. Just goes to show what happens when personal ambition and greed collide with state bureaucracy.

I agree with Cathy on this one (Don't faint Cathy!) - But as I have previously said this is what happens when a "handful" of people dictate. They hold up progress, keep bridges being replaced and prevent tax paying businesses from coming to town!!! Bill Moses

A handful of people making their voices heard and swaying a vote - isn't that called "democracy"?

I don't remember a vote being taken, at least by the voters. Bill

Personally....I was very pleased to see the note from the NH DOT. This makes a great deal sense, and I thought the modern timber bridge was out of place in Walpole, anyway.

All I can say, is get a bridge built...each time I have to take that detour it is approximately 5 additional miles (out and back). Sure that may not be alot, but over a week..25+ miles....a month 100+ miles...a year 1300+ miles. That is just for me to go to work, my wife takes the same route, so that is another 1300+ additional miles on her vehicle. I also do not recall any vote on this. If it was going to take this long, why not do a temporary bridge? At that point the DOT could take as long as they wanted to get "their" bridge in there.

Todd Patch