Keene Adds Gate on Airport Road After Nighttime Driving Damage

Under the new schedule the gate will stay open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Keene has begun limiting overnight vehicle access on Airport Road after city officials reported repeated stunt driving and damage to the pavement. The gate was put in place at the driveway leading to the Wastewater Treatment Plant near the Dillant-Hopkins Airport terminal, and the change took effect today, Oct. 9.

City staff say the move is meant to curb late-night activity that has included drag racing, burnouts and donuts. Officials also noted fresh skid marks and visible harm to the road surface. The new barrier is intended to protect the recently paved roadway and lower the chance of an incident near the airport.

Under the new schedule, the gate will stay open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. while plant employees are on duty, along with the facility’s limited Saturday hours. Once staff leave, the gate will be locked. People walking or riding bikes will still be able to use the driveway after hours.

The route itself has been the subject of long-running debate. Airport Road is about 1.5 miles long, crosses into Swanzey, N.H., and serves as the access road to Keene’s wastewater treatment facility. Built in the early 1980s as the plant’s main entrance, the narrow roadway was designed for utility operations. After a security gate was removed in 2018, it became a frequent stop for walkers, birdwatchers and other outdoor users.

That recreational use has often clashed with plant traffic. City officials have said parked cars, people on foot and other activity sometimes created problems for workers and for large vehicles entering the site, including septic trucks.

In summer 2025, Keene limited recreational access during weekday business hours, citing safety concerns on the narrow road. The decision prompted objections from residents who viewed the area as a valuable public space and wanted more explanation about the change. On Aug. 27, 2025, the City Council’s Municipal Services, Facilities and Infrastructure Committee reviewed the issue and agreed to reopen the road temporarily under posted rules for recreational users.

Those rules directed pedestrians to the gravel shoulder, asked bicyclists to remain along the far-right edge of the pavement, required dogs to stay leashed and barred stopping or parking on the road. Officials said they would monitor conditions before deciding whether the daytime access could continue.

The council heard another update in September 2025, when Public Works Director Don Lussier said the city could have communicated the earlier closure more clearly. By November 2025, officials said a two-month review had not turned up major repeat safety issues, and the road remained open during business hours unless problems resurfaced.

City officials have also said Airport Road is a private driveway maintained with sewer user fees, giving the Public Works Department authority over access decisions. That issue is separate from the one addressed by the new gate.

The city resurfaced the road in 2025 at a cost of about $300,000 from the sewer fund. After that work, officials reported damage linked to vehicle stunts such as burnouts and donuts. The matter came up again at the July 22, 2026, Municipal Services, Facilities and Infrastructure Committee meeting, where the Public Works Director’s update was presented as information.

With the gate now in place, Keene is trying to stop overnight driving activity while still allowing non-motorized public use of the route.