Chapter 233: Recreational Roads

I. The department of transportation shall assume full control of reconstruction and maintenance of roads designated by the department of natural and cultural resources and highway commissioner within the following state reservations and rights-of-way thereto, and such roads shall be known as recreational roads: Belknap state reservation in the town of Gilford; the road from route 114 at North Sutton village to and through Wadleigh state park to the western boundary of said park on the lake front highway; Cathedral Ledge state reservation in the towns of Conway and Bartlett; the Arethusa Falls road in the town of Hart's Location; Pillsbury state reservation in the town of Washington; White lake state park in the town of Tamworth; Pawtuckaway state reservation in the towns of Nottingham and Deerfield; Milan Hill state park in the town of Milan; Cardigan state reservation in the town of Orange; Kearsarge state reservation in the town of Wilmot; Mt. Sunapee state park in the town of Newbury; Rhododendron state reservation in the town of Fitzwilliam; Bear Brook state reservation in the towns of Deerfield, Hooksett, Allenstown and Candia; and the road formerly known as the Kearsarge Mountain toll road in the town of Warner, extending from the Top of Tory Hill, so called, to its terminus near the summit of Kearsarge Mountain; and Monadnock state forest reservation in the town of Jaffrey, and the road to the beach development at Mt. Sunapee state park in the town of Newbury; and the road from route 116, so called, to Forest Lake state park in the towns of Whitefield and Dalton; and state parks in the Hopkinton-Everett reservoir area in the towns of Dunbarton, Weare and Hopkinton; and the road from route 156 to the entrance to Pawtuckaway state park at Pawtuckaway lake in the towns of Raymond and Nottingham which is to be constructed with other than highway funds. The cost of reconstruction and maintenance shall be a charge upon the highway funds. This section shall not be construed as affecting the control of the department of natural and cultural resources over parking areas or other facilities within said reservations. The commissioner of the department of natural and cultural resources may make reasonable regulations for the control of vehicular traffic on those sections of class III highways which are located within state parks and reservations by means of personnel, signs, or temporary barricades.

II. In addition to the roads classified as class III recreational roads by paragraph I, the department of transportation shall assume full control of reconstruction and maintenance of the following roads which shall be known as recreational roads:

(a) The Diamond Pond road in the towns of Colebrook and Stewartstown starting at the northerly end of class II highway northerly of Upper Kidderville in Colebrook and running to and ending at Diamond Pond in Stewartstown.

(b) The Annett state park road in the town of Rindge beginning at the Cathedral of the Pines and running to the southern boundary of Annett state reservation and from said southern boundary of Annett state reservation, a distance of 0.37 miles, to the southern boundary of the town of Jaffrey, and which runs through the Annett state reservation for its entire length.

(c) The existing town road to Madison Boulder in the town of Madison beginning at the junction of a private road approximately 0.1 mile northwesterly of the B & M railroad crossing and running to the end of the road at Madison Boulder, a total distance of approximately 0.55 of a mile, after the road has been improved to standards satisfactory to the commissioner of transportation with funds other than highway funds.

(d) [Repealed.]

(e) The section of old route 77 in the Hopkinton-Everett flood control area after it has been reconstructed satisfactory to the department of transportation with federal funds.

Any class III public road which leads primarily to a private recreational area shall be maintained by the owner or operator of such area to the satisfaction of the commissioner of transportation, unless otherwise specifically provided.

Any class V public road which leads to a private recreational area shall be maintained either by the operator of such area or by the town or towns in which said road is located unless otherwise specifically provided.