By Joseph Edgerton
Staff Writer

London Bridge was moved to Lake Havasu, Ariz., so perhaps Suncook's double-decker bridge can also find a new home.

The bridge on Route 3 that links Pembroke to Allenstown is being sold to make room for a brand new bridge between the two towns. It could sell for as little as $1, but the catch is that the new owner has to be able to move it and preserve it.

Bill Janelle is the New Hampshire Department of Transportation Right of Way bureau head, and said the bridge must be auctioned for a few reasons.

"Because of its age, the bridge is historic, and because of the federal funds in the project, we have to try to preserve it," he said. "We're looking for someone to buy the bridge to do that."

The two-level bridge between Allenstown and Pembroke is in need of a new home. The historic structure will be replaced with a similar but stronger bridge. (File Photo)

The bridge was constructed in 1931 to provide a path for Routes 3 and 28, and its two levels support low-speed local traffic as well as major state traffic.

New Hampshire DOT historian Joyce McKay said the bridge is a unique part of state history. A new double-decker bridge will be built to preserve the link to the past.

"The bridge is the only double- decker bridge in the state, and we're building the new one for two main reasons," she said. "The two towns specifically requested the structure, and we're trying to make up for the removal of the old bridge with the construction of a new one."

The new bridge, which is slated for construction over the next two years and will cost $13.6 million, will be similar in appearance to the older version, but will be larger and have improved materials.

Of the $13.6 million, $12 million has been allocated for construction and $1.6 million has been set aside for engineering studies. Eighty percent of the cost will be covered by federal funds, and the remaining 20 percent will be paid for by state funds.

Chris Waszczuk, project manager, said that since the doubledecker qualifies for a place in the National Register of Historical Places, the new structure must resemble its predecessor. There is too much deterioration in the older model for it to serve the two communities, and further renovation is out of the question.

"Upon completion of the new bridge, the old double-decker will be removed," he said. "The new bridge will be designed to accommodate legal loads and certified overweight vehicles. Typically, the department does not design new truss structures because they are labor intensive and complicated to build. The goal of the new bridge, then, is to replicate the look of the old one, but to be much stronger."

Waszczuk said anyone purchasing the bridge must relocate and preserve it, and that it must serve a purpose in its new location.

"If there is an interested part, he or she will have to develop a proposal to move the bridge," he said. "It can't just be torn down and sold for scrap. They've got to prove that they can preserve and utilize the structure."

Waszczuk also said the funds dedicated to the removal of the bridge could be used to transport it to a new location.

McKay said the bridge, bids for which she expects to be in the neighborhood of $1,000, could be used in any number of ways, but a bidder has yet to provide a cash figure or an intended use.

"The bridge has to be removed as intact sections, moved to a different location, reassembled and reused," she said. "It would need to look what it looks like now. It could be used as a pedestrian bridge somewhere, but it would have to be functional."

The only other example of a bridge purchase that McKay could cite was a recent purchase of a structure over the Connecticut River.

"An Epsom man bought a bridge between Clarksville and Pittsburg," she said. "He's probably going to have to bring it down in pieces. When you buy a bridge, you take total responsibility for it."