MADISON, New Hampshire — This summer, parts of New England have endured several bouts of severe weather. Maine has been mostly spared, but just across the border in New Hampshire, the rain has caused some serious problems.
About half a mile of Colby Hill Road near Route 113 in Madison is covered with several washouts. Large chunks of pavement collapsed alongside the half-mile stretch.
There are areas of damage throughout Madison, but this area is the bulk of it, according to Madison's Department of Public Works foreman, Justin Chick.
Chick said they'll need to completely rebuild the whole road and all of its culvert crossings, which will be a very expensive project.
"It's going to take some time, but we're going to have crews here. Just start at the source and we're going to try to meet in the middle," he said. "If mother nature can help us and give us decent weather for a change, we'll do the best we can. People are going to have to be patient."
There are still a handful of families stuck at their houses along Colby Hill Road. The fire department is checking on those people to see if they need any help or supplies, Chick said.
NEWS CENTER Maine spoke with one man who has lived on the road for more than 40 years and said he's never seen damage here quite like this.
"The rain was torrential. I was sitting in my house, and it would just come in waves. It seemed to let up a little then seemed to just start again," Les Horn said. "My driveway is washed out a little bit. The road down there is pretty much gone."
Chick said the department will try to do its best to get people's driveways back open as soon as possible, but there isn't a timeline yet for when all of this work will be completed.
"It's a lot. It's going to be a while before we get it back together," Chick said.