Hassan: Let's Accelerate Exit 4A I-93 Project

In order to strengthen New Hampshire’s transportation infrastructure and spur economic development, Gov. Maggie Hassan, D-Exeter, has directed the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NH DOT) to accelerate the Exit 4A project and announced that she intends to place a higher priority on the project in the state’s Ten Year Transportation Improvement Plan for 2017-2026, according to a press statement.

Hassan outlined her support for the Exit 4A project in a letter yesterday to Derry Town Council Chair Thomas Cardon and Londonderry Town Council Chair John Farrell.

“A strong transportation infrastructure is crucial to our economic development, and to the safety and quality of life of our citizens and visitors,” Hassan wrote. “I recognize the economic potential that Exit 4A has for our communities, and our state as a whole. As part of my review of the Ten Year Plan, I intend to work with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NH DOT) to examine ways to place a higher priority on the Exit 4A project and to accelerate the project, in conjunction with the widening of I-93.”

Last year, Hassan worked across party lines to pass a bipartisan transportation funding plan that was the most significant state-level investment in transportation infrastructure in more than 20 years, advancing critical road and bridge projects and finishing the long-overdue expansion of I-93. Governor Hassan wrote that the Exit 4A project in Derry and Londonderry should be included as part of the I-93 expansion.

“The bipartisan transportation funding plan that we passed last year is advancing critical road and bridge projects and helping to finish the long-overdue expansion of Interstate 93, and I believe that Exit 4A needs to be included in that context,” Hassan wrote. “Exit 4A represents a significant economic development opportunity for the region and the state, and assuring expedient timing for funding and completion of the project will spur economic development and create jobs.”

As part of the Ten Year Transportation Improvement Plan process, the Executive Council and the Department of Transportation hold a series of public hearings across the state. Through that process, they develop a draft plan, which is by law submitted to the Governor in December. The Governor can then make any changes or adjustments to the plan before submitting it to the legislature for its consideration.