YOUR COMMENTS

Some sophomore is now going to ask, 'its costs too much huh? Well what's a life more anyways?' I don't know. Ask Mark in Hooksett (below).

A better (more realistic) question is, 'look, found a million bucks in FWHA's sofa cushions, what’s the most number of we lives can save with it?' Its called prioritization.
- Jim, Manchester

Mrs. Jeanes,
Great story! So glad your family made it home safe.
- Jim, Manchester

Texter and Nick's answer to Katherine's question is correct. The only way a center of median guardrail can work is if you build a highpoint in the middle of the median with double barrel drainage ditches or gutters on either side. NHDOT's standard grass ditch for Highways is 19' wide to provide the appropriate depth and flat side slopes. To have double barrel ditches your median needs to be at least 40' wide. That's if the profile elevation of either side of the highway is the same, you need more median width if it's not.

The old standard was barrier for medians of 40' or less, the new standard is 50' or less. Also a single deep ditch median provides better vehicle capture than two shallow ditches without guardrail. That is why the double barrel grass ditch design is usually only used where there is a big chunk of rock in the median that too expensive to remove for split profile (different elevations) highways like Route 101.

For narrow medians they usually end up using a double barrel paved gutters to handle drainage on either side of a central crash barrier. The paved gutter is at least the width of a break down lane and helps avoid pile ups behind vehicles that crash into the barrier. Double barrel gutters or ditches often need twice as many drainage structures and pipes, which is where the cost per mile really starts to add up. This type of system would have been very expensive to install in retrofit along Route 101 because they would have had to move all the existing drainage structures.

Hope that’s not too technical.

-Your friendly neighborhood civil engineer.
- Jim, Manchester

Katherine,
Just so you know, last winter a snow squall hit as my husband, myself and our 5 children where headed home. Right around exit 2 another SUV crossed over and headed straight toward us. It came so fast and furiously that our windshield was blasted by snow and dirt as the truck headed straight at us for a head on collision. I have no idea how we didn't get hit, but that SUV somehow stopped just short of what would have been a deadly collision. We got home and one of the headlights had been dislodged from the force of the on coming debris. We refer to the area the guardrails have gone up to as "the place our family almost died." We are so happy to see them there now. Due to the weather conditions we couldn't swerve out of the way. My husband stayed the course and God was with us. We came home and sat on the couch numb for about an hour after that near miss. THANK YOU FOR THE GUARD RAILS! If your blinded by them get some cheap sunglasses for pete's sake.
- Erica Jeanes, Candia

I drive 101 frequently/Auburn Candia. Now that the guardrails are up, the sun hits on them and it blinded me so I couldn't see where I was driving. Let's see, I'm a TT driver that can't see because of a 3 mile stretch of galvanized glare. HELLO!!!!!!!!
- George, Manchester Nh

Texter in Newfields is correct. When guardrail or cable median barrier is placed too far down a slope it may not even capture the errant vehicles. A 60 mph vehicle leaving the edge of the roadway at any appreciable angle becomes airborne as the ground slopes down. The vehicle may not come back to the ground until it has gone over a barrier placed down on the slope. The exact center of the median is a location that is often optimum for capturing vehicles, but that is where the runoff water collects, creating very soft soils and corroded guardrail posts (even when galvanized before installation.) It is a delicate balance to place barriers as far away from traffic as possible (to reduce hits) but in a location where it will still capture the greatest number of vehicles. (nb. You don't want to construct a concrete wall that would be 100 percent effective in preventing cross-overs - #1 you can't afford it. #2 you would kill a greater number of vehicle occupants that impact it. And no, running off the road is not a capitol offense that requires the death penalty.)
- Nick, Washington, DC

Jose from Manchester -

What I was referring to was that sometimes, especially in winter, accidents can happen so quickly in front of us before we even realize what's happened. It's like that 50 car pile up on 93 last winter. Not all of those drivers were being erratic that day, but they were still involved in the accident. Sometimes people get involved in accidents no matter how careful they try to be. They can be careful and keep a safe distance, but it only takes one idiot passing them at 70mph that spins out and hits them.

So, it's not me crashing into someone else that I'm worried about, it's the insane drivers that would crash into me since there would be no where for them to go except my lane. If something like that were to occur, I'd rather have the cars get spread out onto part of the median instead of start crashing into other vehicles like ping pong balls because there's no where else to go.

I wish we could say forget the guardrails and just make people be safer drivers, but realistically it will never happen. There will always be those drivers who think they are invincible and can drive 70mph in a nor'easter. If drivers could have that extra 10-15 feet or so it may actually save some extra damage or even a life. As of right now, if an accident occurs between the guardrails everyone is going to be bouncing against each other at the ridiculous speeds they drive at on 101. That's more of what I was trying to talk about. I guess I wasn't descriptive enough.

I suppose I can sort of understand why they may have put them on the edge due to water runoff and/or steep angles. There must be some logic behind how they installed them the way they did. I still don't like how it's such a tight squeeze between them though. Winter ought to be interesting through that section.
- Katherin, Raymond

Routes 101 202 and 9 all need jersey barriers instead of double yellow lines. As a tractor trailer driver that drives these roads daily I have come very close to bad accidents while being passed in unsafe areas. Don't pass unless it is safe to do so.
- Bill, Weare

Hey Bill from Wolfeboro. It is only stupidity if you caused the accident. Otherwise your a victim. Ask the two kids from Bow killed on 93 in Hooksett.
- Bob, Concord

Katherin, if you need a sideways escape route to avoid an accident in front of you, you're following too closely. Leave enough room in front of you and you'll always be able to stop safely should the unexpected take place in front of you.
- Jose H., Manchester, NH

Jake and Bill - Neither of you seem to be thinking about the innocent drivers, those who are involved in crossover crashes through no fault of their own. It's not just about protecting the stupid. On 50+MPH roads, I feel better knowing that the inattentive idiots cannot cross over and crash head-on into me.
- Matthew, Manchester

What about 101 from Bedford to the Vt Boarder and 202/9? When are we going to see someone FIX THOSE DEATH TRAPS
- Anne, Manchester

Guardrails are what Is not needed. What we need is people need to watch what the Hell they are doing behind the wheel. The reason people crossover is either some dumb reason (ie, Cell phone,radio, driving with knees while shaving or putting lipstick, lack of sleep Ect.) Cars are only meant to do one purpose, get us from point A to point B.
- Bob, Manchester

Katherine,
I'm no traffic engineer but I'll hazard a guess why they did it the way that they did. I think that, given the steep angle of the drop to the center of the median, they would have to significantly fill to make it level. This would affect runoff from the road, and require signifiant modifications to the roadway.

Additionally, in several places, the roadway heading in one direction is significantly elevated in relation to the other roadway. If the eastbound guard rail, lets say, was pushed further into the median without the level of the median being raised, then a vehicle which has left the road way would likely be traveling down the slope of the median, hit the guardrail, and tend to somersault into oncoming traffic. This would be more likely in a curve, I think, but could happen.

Of course, I could be wrong, too. Just a thought.
- Texter, Newfields

I agree with Katherin, the guardrails are way to close to the road. During the winter you see dozens of cars flying by and ending up in the median... but out of the way. Now, they are going to hit the guardrail and take out everyone around them. I think the guardrail is a great idea, but it should have been placed somewhere in the middle of the median. 101 is very narrow. It's something that needed to be addressed but maybe with a little more thought. They are preventing cross over accidents, but what other accident are they going to cause... pile ups!
- Cathy, Raymond

They really need to put them down the middle of some of the smaller roads like 202/9 between Hopkinton and Hillsboro.
- Joe, Hillsboro

I wish they had put the new guardrails between Auburn and Candia in the middle of the median and not on the edge of it. If an accident were to occur I'd rather use the median, or even half the median, to get out of the way. Right now it's got guardrails on both sides of the road and the break down lanes aren't wide enough to get by. All I see is a disaster coming with that since there's no where to go if an accident happens. Everyone will be bottle necked right between the two guardrails. It will be interesting to see how this winter goes with that section.
- Katherin, Raymond

Its about time and long overdue!!!! I guess the NHDOT's stupid position that the guardrails will make it more dangerous by keeping out of control cars on their side was rejected. Remember the accidents on I-93 in Hooksett?
- mike, auburn

"In 2011, a three-mile section of Interstate 93 in Hooksett and Manchester is scheduled for bids. Four people, including two children, died in that area of I-93 between 2004 and 2007." My question .. why wait until 2011 to potentially save lives with an improvement? It'll only be more costly in the future and people might die or be injured before it is installed. Since they have made the wise decision to install it .. why wait?
- Jim M, Hooksett, NH

guardrails in order to prevent crossover accidents?.

Shouldn't that be "guardrails to prevent stupidity"?
- Bill, Wolfeboro

Larry - that section of the Spaulding is getting widened to a full divided highway with four lanes as we speak
- Art, Portsmouth

How many of these accidents have been caused by speeding or drivers not paying attention?
- Jim, Hudson

let's see 3.5 miles at$ 626,500 (who the heck came up with that number?) that is $178742 per mile ($36/ft). Oh wait, maybe that applies to the three roads, which brings the cost to $50k per mile. Either way this is robbery. Someone should look into this whole bidding process? What is the justification for this cost?
- mark, hooksett

How about that part of the Spaudling that is just above the Rochester toll and Route 125? Especially during or after a snowstorm or an icestorm.

(I haven't been there in several years, but it was breathtaking "back in the day")
- Larry Gillis, Cape Coral FL

Oh.........let not forget to thank that company from MA for putting in such a great bid.
- Jake, Manchester

With these new guard rails will I be able to text and drive and not have to worry about crossing into the other lane???
- Jake, Manchester

i thought we didnt need state employees, like the commish etc..
- jp, hooksett

It's about time! The driving public has been asking for this for years. I remember NHDOT quoting the cost at $1 million per mile. I'm glad we can get it done for a much more reasonable $200k/mile.
- Ashton, Derry