Crews race to brace New Hampshire seawalls for winter

Nov. 14—Seawalls breached and battered along the New Hampshire coast last winter are being beefed up just in time for another season of stormy weather.

This week, crews continued a nearly 11-month effort to shore up Route 1-A in Rye after back-to-back destructive storms last January left the roadway in shambles, state Department of Transportation officials said Thursday.

"We are continuing the emergency response to the seawalls from the January 2024 storms. Repairs to the walls are focused on those areas that had sustained heavy damage as part of those storms," NHDOT spokesperson Jennifer Lane said via email.

Wall sections destroyed in low-lying areas along the coast are being removed and replaced with a solid base, she said. Concrete barriers will be installed and tied back into the remaining solid sections of the existing wall.

"These walls provide protection for the roadway and associated infrastructure from wave action during storm events," Lane said. "These repairs are intended to shore up damaged areas that are exposing the road to increased risk of damage during storm events. In addition, the large loose pieces of damaged wall could potentially become mobilized in high surge storms creating additional hazards for emergency responders."

Work is expected to be completed by the end of December and cost between $300,000 and $400,000.

Drivers will have to navigate alternating one-way traffic flow through the work zone controlled by temporary signals, but the state hopes to minimize delays, Lane said. There will be additional restrictions for through traffic on side roads and the state is working with the town of Rye to ensure the safety of drivers.

In January, high tides and winds up to 70 mph hit the waterfront areas of Rye and Hampton. Flooding caused road closures, electrical failures and standing water. Waves wrecked portions of sidewalks, parking lots, bridges, seawalls and even house foundations.

Construction workers assessing the storm damage at the time compared it to the Blizzard of '78.

This spring, the state received federal disaster funding to help cover the costs of construction.