This was the information presented at the Bond Hearing. Please email Renee at [email protected] with any questions. Thank you!
Third Party Estimate
I was able to get estimates for these projects from a contractor with low prices, using methods that would avoid permitting, and would use any labor ‘in kind’ we have to offer. These methods do not follow the necessary safety and construction guidelines required for the funding grants we have received and so would be paid 100% by the Town. These are his estimates alongside our match with the current funding.
East Side $595,000 ; $295,000 over our $300,000 share
Cross Road $495,000 ; $45,000 over our $450,000 share
Rowentown $678,000 ; $488,000 over our $190,000 share
N. Dorchester $395,000 ; $311,000 over our $84,000 share
A temporary bridge would not meet the grant parameters and would be paid 100% by the Town as well. The bridge itself is cheaper than a concrete bridge, most of the same prep and work needs to be done to install it and when added altogether, the costs are the same as our match. Since it is the same, a concrete permanent bridge would be the more cost-effective long term solution with none of the maintenance as well.
We are still working hard to find alternative cost-effective options, especially for North Dorchester Road Culvert.
Tax Impacts
Projected* tax impacts of the current project plan:
*All numbers are estimated to the best of our ability
Our current assessed value is $132,483,737
That means that for every $132,483, our taxes go up $1/1000
If we get the Grant Anticipation Note for the construction phases, we will only need to bond $1,000,000. A our high estimate of 5.75%, our annual payment of $107,500 would include principal and interest and would increase our taxes by $.81/1000. At our low estimate of 3.43%, our annual payment of $84,300 would increase our taxes by $.64/1000. This rate increase would occur once, not compound annually since the payments are consistent over the term of the bond.
Any bond we acquire will impact our taxes starting one year from the date of acquisition. The earliest we will see this is 2027.
Why So Much? Expenses Not Considered
When I researched a lot of different options for these projects, I found that the materials costs of the bridge/culvert alone were not the only costs we need to consider. Here is a list of those ‘hidden’ costs:
- Guard rails
- Traffic control
- Water deviation
- Pavement
- Fill
- Excavation
- Design
- Permitting
- Right of way
- Inflation
- Traffic barriers
- Silt fence/socks
- Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan
- Water quality monitoring, inspection and reporting
- Wetlands report
- Removal of existing (haul and disposal)
- Grading and site prep
- Geotextile weed barrier
- Establish foundation
- Footers
- Wingwalls
- Backfill
According to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, there are 2,484 bridge replacements needed in NH totalling $7,401,000,000 which equals an average of $2,979,468.60 per bridge.
Bow has two similar bridges being built and they are $1.39 and $1.31 million each.
Construction costs in labor and materials have gone up 54% between 2022 and 2024.
Modern design codes and strict government permits for working over NH’s waterways add significant preliminary design and permitting costs.
Class I-V must be inspected regularly by NHDOT to remain in the inventory and qualify for future aid.
Resources
Construction materials “Weighted Average Unit Prices”: https://www.dot.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt811/files/inline-documents/current-weighted-average-unit-prices.pdf
American Road and Transportation Builders Association:
https://artbabridgereport.org/state/profile/NH
New Hampshire Municipal Bond Bank:
https://nhmbb.com/event/nhmbb-news-2/
M.A. Bean Associates:
Meredith Village Savings Bank:
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Science:
Red Listed Bridges:
https://www.dot.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt811/files/inline-documents/municipal-red-list_1.pdf