WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Some White River Junction residents are pushing to reopen the Gates Street hill to two-way traffic, re-igniting a long-standing debate over safety issues surrounding the 400-foot stretch of roadway.
Hartford Selectboard members have not made a decision on the road, which is currently one-way from Fairview Terrace toward downtown White River Junction, but some hope a study recently completed by Norwich University engineering students may provide guidance.
Students will discuss their findings in an informal virtual presentation Tuesday, which may see residents and some board members in attendance, according to Hartford resident David Briggs, who first asked the school’s Engineering Department to look into the road earlier this year.
Briggs, a Norwich University alumnus, said the team of students spent the summer and fall looking at ways to widen the road for two-way traffic while maintaining a pedestrian walkway.
Briggs, who lives just up from the road on Hillcrest Terrace, is one of the neighbors spearheading the recent push for reopening Gates Street to two-way traffic.
Hartford officials closed the road in 2017 after concerns about vibrations caused by cars that could lead to the collapse of a failing retaining wall that ran along Gates Street. Before closing the road, Hartford staff discussed a permanent fix, which they estimated at the time would cost around $3.4 to $4.4 million.
The town reopened the road to one-way traffic in 2018, with the other lane used as a pedestrian walkway. Previously, pedestrians shared the roadway along with two-way vehicle traffic.
At a Selectboard meeting last week, Briggs presented his argument, saying that the street has been “observed for some time to be stable,” and should now be reopened.
“It is still strongly believed that the street can be safely returned to two-way traffic. … The resumption of cars in both ways will not unduly stress the roadway,” Briggs said. He suggested that the town move the existing barriers several feet to the side to allow for two-way traffic while still leaving space for a pedestrian walkway — a project he claimed would take a matter of hours and cost less than $1,000.
Addressing concerns about some drivers speeding down Gates Road, Briggs argued that the narrow nature of the two-way street would likely reduce the number of reckless drivers.
While some neighbors agreed with Briggs, others, including Nathan Klippel of Fairview Terrace, weren’t so sure that Gates Street is ready for additional traffic.
“The town closed the road initially because it was a risk — or at least thought that it was a risk. Now we’re just arbitrarily determining that it’s not a risk?” he asked.
Fairview Terrace resident Heather Potter was among those who worried about the indirect effect of reopening the road — namely, the number of drivers who would use Gates Street to zip in and out of the downtown. She said the initial closure of that road gave Fairview Terrace residents the sense of “peacefulness” they had wanted.
“I’m tired of having the convenience of others placed above the safety of residents on Fairview Terrace,” Potter said, adding, “We’re being asked once again to shoulder the burden of the entire neighborhood.”
Hillcrest Terrace resident Tim Martin, who supports the reopening, argued that heavy traffic comes with living in town, rather than in a more rural area.
“If someone had their way, this street wouldn’t be open to anybody,” Martin said, adding that the town has taken multiple measures to reduce the risk of speeding, including installing speed bumps. “If they live in town, there’s a certain amount of risk.”
Public Works Director Hannah Tyler, who also spoke at the meeting, said she has been assessing Gates Street and Briggs’ reopening proposal, but that she’s concerned about the narrow width of the roadway if it’s reopened to two-way traffic. She said she would like to do a full analysis of moving the barriers and getting input from more nearby residents.
Anna Merriman can be reached at amerriman@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.