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Standpipes for I-93 lead to a standoff between NH, towns

By Terry Date
tdate@eagletribune.com
Published: September 2, 2008

New Hampshire and town officials are butting heads over who should maintain about 24 standpipes attached to Interstate 93 bridges.

The pipes, which are slated for installation as the I-93 widening project progresses, channel water from fire hydrants or water tankers on secondary roads to the interstate.

Directing water from a secondary road would keep some water tankers and the firefighters who operate them off the side of the highway, which can be a dangerous place to operate, said Windham fire Chief Tom McPherson.

Furthermore, by using standpipes, firetrucks hauling water would avoid traffic delays on the highway in their response to the blaze.

The standpipes would be a precaution against a major catastrophe such as an overturned fuel tanker.

Otherwise, in the case of a car fire, fire departments would have enough water with them to put out the flames.

Meanwhile, the state-town standpipe standoff is over who should pay for keeping snow cleared from the pipes, as well as periodic testing and inspection.

Southern New Hampshire towns have balked at the prospect of footing those bills.

Salem Assistant fire Chief Paul Parisi told a gathering of fire and police officials and state Department of Transportation engineers and managers last week that his boss said there was no way the town is going to pay for protecting the interstate | a state asset.

"It got shot down even before it got to the (town) manager," he said.

Derry Battalion fire Chief Mike Gagnon said the long-term maintenance cost would be too expensive for the towns.

"Long term, it is going to kill us," he said.

But Pete Stamnas, DOT project manager for the I-93 widening, said the state is under the same manpower and budgetary pressures as the towns.

"We are struggling to plow the roads when they need it," he said.

Stamnas said the state is willing to pay for the installation of the standpipes, but it wants the towns to be stakeholders by paying for their maintenance. Otherwise, the towns might ask to have them installed at every bridge, he said.

As it is, Salem has requested 11 standpipes, Windham and Derry each want four, and Londonderry has asked for several.

Each standpipe costs about $8,000 to $10,000 to install.

The talks about the maintenance took place at Londonderry Town Hall at a meeting of the Technical Steering Committee, an I-93 incident management group where public safety and transportation managers hash over concerns related to the highway project.

Ultimately, the decision on what entity will pay for the standpipe maintenance will likely fall to state and local political leaders or the Department of Transportation commissioner's office.

Still, in the trenches Wednesday, the steering committee members went to bat for their particular sides, even as they agreed to continue discussions.

Department of Transportation engineer Pamela Mitchell said the state would break with tradition if it paid for the shoveling costs.

"I don't see how it is any different than a fire hydrant," she said. "We don't shovel them out."

Earlier in the conversation, McPherson said shoveling standpipe sections would put his firefighters at risk from plows.

"I have no intention of sending personnel up there to clear out standpipes when state trucks are winging back snow," he said.

The two sides agreed to continue the dialogue by exchanging proposals via e-mail.

Public officials in Windham are interested in seeking a political resolution, perhaps through the Legislature.

I-93 would be the first state highway in New Hampshire to have standpipes, as far as Mitchell knows.

Fire officers in Lawrence and Methuen, Mass, said they have no standpipes in their cities, but they have seen them on bridges in Boston.

Lawrence Deputy fire Chief John Marsh said the federal government provided a grant for two fire engines to carry foam in response to a major fuel fire incident on Interstate 495.