NH House Approves $4.7 Billion 10-Year Highway Plan

By GARRY RAYNO, InDepthNH

CONCORD, NH — The House Thursday approved a $4.7 billion 10-year highway improvement plan constrained by a lack of state and federal funds.

The House made several changes in the program that was approved by the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Intermodal Transportation and Gov. Kelly Ayotte before it came to the House.

The major change was removing two Manchester exit 6 and 7 projects on I-293 that totaled $231.8 million because members of the House Public Works and Highways Committee noted the money is not available to do the projects.

The long-planned expansion of I-93 from Bow through Concord was removed from the plan before it arrived at the House, also because funds were not available.

The committee did decide to add a project to improve the intersection of Routes 16 and 133 in Albany that was a priority of the regional planning commission.

The project is projected to cost $6.8 million and would be completed in 2033.

The plan’s categories include individual projects, $1.113 billion; roadsides, which includes culverts, guard rails, etc., $296 million; paving, $886 million; bridges, $1.115 billion; mandated federal programs, $416 million; rail, $13 million; transit, $468 million; airports, $228 million; and debt service, $187 million.

The 10-year plan also includes $33 million in active transportation projects, which encompass pedestrian walkways and bicycle trails.

A number of funding issues have put constraints on the plan which includes both turnpike and state and local roadways.

The turnpike system is largely funded with state tolls and federal money. Turnpike toll money has been flat for some time due to the reduction in toll booths in Merrimack and less traffic.

The Senate has approved a toll increase to address the issue but the House has yet to take up the bill.

But Public Works Committee chair Rep. David Milz, R-Derry, said in his report to the House on the highway plan, the committee would support the NHDOT’s request for a toll increase.

The state does not raise enough turnpike money to match the available federal funds and uses state credits for maintaining the federal turnpikes as a match instead.

The federal highway money for matching state and local road projects has been reduced in the latest federal budget and the state does not have enough money to match all that is available for highway projects.

This year the state has begun paying off the principle for a $200 million federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan it took out 10 years ago to fund the final stages of the I-93 expansion project from Salem to Manchester.

Until this fiscal year the state paid about $2 million a year in interest and now has to pay about $23 million a year.

The bill passed the House on a 338-13 vote, after the House killed an attempt to remove a section that would have turned Continental Boulevard over to the town of Merrimack.
The bill now goes to the Senate which will develop its own version of the plan.

Garry Rayno may be reached at garry.rayno@yahoo.com.

This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.