Selectmen are asking voters to approve the replacement of two town bridges in March after adding the multimillion- dollar bond article to the Town Meeting warrant on Monday, Jan. 12.

On the state’s municipal red list since late 2007, the Lawrence Road Bridge spanning the Spicket River and the Cluff Crossing Road Bridge over Policy Brook could be replaced at a cost of $2,394,000 if voters approve the bond article in March.

Each bridge is eligible for up to 80 percent reimbursement from the state through the Department of Transportation’s municipal aid program, according to Robert Puff, town engineer.

Selectmen said both bridges had also been included on the town’s list of “shovel-ready” projects as the state prepares for a possible financial infusion from President-elect Obama’s proposed $775 billion economic stimulus package.

“The (stimulus package) is a trump card that we don’t know,” said Selectman Everett McBride. “I think there is going to be money available.”

While the state’s reimbursement funds would not become available until 2014 for the Lawrence Road Bridge and 2015 for the Cluff Crossing Bridge, Town Manager Jonathan Sistare urged selectmen to move ahead as quickly as possible.

According to Sistare, were federal funds from the economic stimulus package to come to New Hampshire, both of the projects might jump up on the state’s list, resulting in a full 80 percent reimbursement with a shorter wait then currently anticipated.

Though several selectmen indicated that they agreed with Town Finance Director Jane Savastano’s recommendation to ask voters for a 10- year bond vs. a 20-year bond, the board opted to hold off on making a final decision at the Jan. 12 meeting.

Designs for both replacement bridges have already been completed. According to Puff, the proposed Lawrence Road Bridge would raise the structure’s elevation and widen it to the approximate limits of the natural river bank, allowing floodwaters to pass under rather than over the roadway as occurred during the 2006 Mother’s Day floods.

Weight restrictions are currently enforced on both bridges – a maximum of 13 tons for the Lawrence Road Bridge and 10 tons for the Cluff Crossing Road Bridge – since state engineers have rated the structures deficient.

This past summer, public safety officials called on selectmen to tackle the problem after fire apparatus were restricted from using the bridges during emergencies. School officials have had to reroute buses around the bridges, as well.