Candia town officials said they plan to join a Raymond lawsuit against a gravel pit approved for an area of Route 27.

Last month, Raymond Planning Board officials approved a two-year extension on a gravel pit project for the Londonderry based Thibeault Corporation, which owns a 315-acre quarry on Route 27. An abutter’s group later called for a re-hearing, and when this was denied, abutter representative and attorney John Vetne took the case to local selectmen and asked for their support.

Vetne said the approval of the gravel pit means that an average of up to 150 trucks a day could access the gravel pit, and he said that 40 percent of this truck traffic would be coming through the Candia portion of Route 27. Selectmen Chairman Fred Kelley said a major influx of heavy trucks could give Route 27 the biggest traffic problems it has seen in many decades.

Route 27, sometimes known as old Route 101 or Business Route 101, was at one point the main route to New Hampshire’s coastal beaches. While Kelley said the town cannot control how this state-maintained road is used, he said a significant increase in traffic would still be a major concern because Route 27 will soon be the main roadway to a new town transfer station, a new district court and a seasonal water park.

Kelley said officials had turned the case over to town counsel for analysis and a recommendation.

Although no official decision had been made as of press time, Kelley said the town will likely file for “amicus,” or “friend of the court” status, in order to have access to information on the proceeding while being shielded from potential counter-lawsuits.