NHDOT Paving, Guardrail Work Set for Route 11 and 12 Corridors

Drivers on Routes 11 and 12 through Charlestown and Claremont have seven months of lane closures ahead. Pike Industries, Inc., which submitted the low bid of $9,625,850 on NHDOT project 43910, begins daily milling, paving, and guardrail installation operations Monday, April 8, with work zones active from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. straight through November.

The project covers NH Route 12 through Westmoreland and Walpole and extends onto both Routes 11 and 12 in Charlestown and Claremont, making it one of the most expansive single-corridor construction commitments NHDOT has scheduled for southwestern New Hampshire this construction season. The project's stated purpose in state planning documents is to keep these sections of roadway in pavement preservation mode, meaning the work is maintenance-interval driven rather than emergency-triggered.

Motorists should expect flagger-controlled, single-lane alternating traffic throughout the construction period, along with intermittent stoppages while crews complete milling passes, lay fresh asphalt, or set guardrail sections. The 7:00 a.m. start time puts active work zones in place before morning school-bus runs finish in both Charlestown and Claremont. Emergency responders in all four towns will need to account for potential delays along corridors that serve as primary north-south connectors through Sullivan County.

The guardrail replacement component addresses hardware that predates current federal crash-attenuation specifications, a condition common on high-use rural corridors where aging end treatments have never been updated to modern standards. Route 12 between Charlestown and Walpole carries additional urgency: the corridor has a documented history of embankment instability and emergency closures near the Connecticut River, and guardrail integrity along sloped sections becomes critical when pavement conditions deteriorate after seasonal freeze-thaw cycles.

Bids for the project opened February 18, 2025. Pike Industries' winning figure of $9,625,850 came in below three competitors, with All States Construction, Inc. as the next-lowest at $9,686,508.

Motorists with work-zone hazard concerns or access questions can reach NHDOT's District 4 office, which covers highway maintenance for Charlestown, Walpole, and Westmoreland, at (603) 352-2302. Project updates are posted to dot.nh.gov. The schedule remains weather-dependent, and work windows for specific segments may shift across the seven-month construction period.