NH Roads May Not Get The Money They Need

By David Darman on Wednesday, February 4, 2004.

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New Hampshire lawmakers and transportation officials are urging Congress to send 135 million dollars to the state next year.

They say they need the money to pay for a road maintenance and improvement plan that has already begun.

But their cries for funds are getting a cool reception in Congress.

New Hampshire Public Radio’s David Darman has more.

Members of Congress are hammering out a new, 6 year, transportation plan.

The House plan could total as much as 375 billion dollars.

The Senate plan would add up to about 318 billion dollars.

But Carol Murray says in either case, it doesn’t look like Congress will send NH all it needs in the next several years.

Murray is the state’s Transportation Commissioner.
O2 1710 we have about 2 billion dollars worth of identified needs in the 10 year plan, and 1.5 billion dollars of funding available. The two don’t meet. 01 1723

Transportation officials say the state needs tens of millions a year for new projects, such as the airport access road, and the I-93 widening project.

And Commissioner Murray says millions more are needed for existing infrastructure that is crying for attention.
02 1747… The interstate system is 50 years old. Every bridge deck out there on the interstate system was designed to have a 50 year life. That’s sobering reality and that’s true not just in nh, that’s national. 02 1810

New Hampshire has long received more transportation funds from the federal government than it pays in gas taxes.

Most recently, the state received 1 dollar and 6 cents for every dollar it sent to Washington.

But several other states have received far less.

Those states’ Congressional delegations have negotiated higher minimum distributions.

New Hampshire’s 1.06 has been cut back to 95 cents for every dollar paid in gas taxes.

The Senate committee that reworked this formula is the Environmental & Public Works Committee.

It is chaired by Republican James Inhofe of Oklahoma.

That committee used to be chaired by New Hampshire’s former Senator, Bob Smith.

Kevin McCarty is with the Surface Transportation Policy Project in Washington, D.C.
04 109 well, its certainly fair to say that were senator smith still on the committee, we would not be looking at this kind of proposal for nh. And it would be assured that a positive rate of return under tea 21, which was the last law, would probably have been increased under this one.

Smith’s departure from the senate has left the state without any representation on this committee.

But Senator Judd Gregg has spoken out against the transportation bill on the senate floor.

Not because New Hampshire’s share was too small, but because spending in the bill was growing too large.
We can build all the roads in the world. But if we don’t do them in a fiscally responsible way, then our children aren’t going to be able to afford cars to drive on those roads. Their quality of life is going to be reduced. Because we’re adding to the deficit, and that means we’re adding to their tax burden every time we do this. :21

TEA-21, the current transportation plan, is due to expire at the end of February.

Congress could produce a new plan by the end of the month, or give themselves an extension for more time.

For NHPR news, I’m DD