SWANZEY, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) The City of Keene has installed a gate on the driveway serving its Wastewater Treatment Plant near the Dillant-Hopkins Airport terminal, restricting vehicle access outside normal business hours beginning today, Oct. 9.

The change follows reports of nighttime activity on the recently paved road, including drag racing, burnouts and donuts. The city has also observed skid marks and pavement damage.

The restriction is intended to discourage the activity, protect the roadway and reduce the risk of an incident near the airport.

The gate will generally remain open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., while wastewater treatment plant staff are on site, as well as during the facility’s limited Saturday hours. It will be locked after staff leave for the day.

Pedestrians and bicyclists will continue to be allowed to use the driveway after hours.

A road that became a popular recreation destination

The latest restriction comes after years of debate over public access to Airport Road, the approximately 1.5-mile route that crosses into Swanzey and serves as the access road to Keene’s wastewater treatment facility.

Built in the early 1980s as the plant’s primary access route, the narrow road was intended for facility operations. After the city removed a security gate in 2018, however, it became a popular destination for walkers, birdwatchers and other outdoor enthusiasts.

The surrounding wetlands and open landscape have made the area particularly attractive for wildlife observation. More than 200 bird species have been documented nearby, drawing visitors from across the region.

But recreational use also created conflicts with wastewater plant operations. City officials said pedestrians, parked vehicles and other recreational activity sometimes interfered with employees and large trucks traveling to the facility, including septic haulers.

In summer 2025, the city restricted recreational access during weekday business hours, from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., citing safety concerns involving pedestrians and vehicles sharing the narrow road.

The decision drew criticism from residents who considered the area an important outdoor resource and objected to losing daytime access. Some questioned how the restrictions were communicated and urged the city to consider a compromise.

City reversed course after public pushback

During an Aug. 27, 2025, meeting of the City Council’s Municipal Services, Facilities and Infrastructure Committee, officials discussed the competing concerns and agreed to restore public access on an interim basis, with signs outlining rules for recreational users.

The guidelines called for pedestrians to use the gravel shoulder, bicyclists to stay along the far-right edge of the pavement, dogs to remain leashed and visitors to avoid stopping or parking on the road. The city planned to monitor conditions before deciding whether daytime access could continue.

The issue returned to the City Council in September 2025, when the council received a report on recreational access and public concerns about the restrictions. Public Works Director Don Lussier acknowledged that the city could have communicated the original closure more effectively.

By November 2025, officials reported that a two-month review had found no significant recurrence of the safety problems that prompted the earlier restrictions. The road remained open during business hours, with the possibility of revisiting the rules if problems returned.

The city also emphasized that Airport Road is a private driveway maintained through sewer user fees, giving the Public Works Department discretion over access.

New concerns focus on nighttime driving and pavement damage

The current gate addresses a different set of concerns from those that dominated the 2025 debate.

In 2025, the city invested approximately $300,000 from the sewer fund to resurface the road. Officials subsequently reported damage associated with vehicle stunts, including burnouts and donuts.

The city discussed restricting vehicle access to the wastewater treatment plant driveway again at the July 22, 2026, Municipal Services, Facilities and Infrastructure Committee meeting. The committee received the Public Works Director’s report as informational.

The new gate will limit after-hours vehicle access while preserving pedestrian and bicycle access, allowing the city to address nighttime driving activity without eliminating all public use of the route.