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Some Facts About New Hampshire’s Infrastructure:New Hampshire has approximately 17,000 miles of state and town roads, turnpikes and interstate highways. There are 3,795 bridges in the state. As of 2010, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation plowed more than 800 lane miles of roads and put down 180,000 tons of salt for snow and ice control annually.The state was given a “C” grade by the American Society of Civil Engineers for the condition of its roads and bridges. New Hampshire was rated among the worst in the country for the poor condition of its bridges by Transportation For America. On average, bridges are older in New Hampshire than those in the rest of the country. There are hundreds of bridges on the so-called “red list,” which means that the bridges have major structural problems and need to be repaired or replaced.The state also has a poor record when it comes to public transportation. New Hampshire has no comprehensive rail system and is rated 42nd in terms of investment in public transportation according to the State Department of Transportation.The majority of New Hampshire’s infrastructure funding comes from vehicle registration fees and gas taxes. The state takes out fewer bond loans than other states and considers its funding a “pay as you go” system. The gas tax, the lowest in New England, has not been raised since 1991. The 2011 Legislature did away with a motor vehicle fee increase. That change has meant more $30 million a year in cuts to DOT.The $800 million expansion of I-93 from Salem to Manchester began in 2006, but has been delayed several times because of a lack of funding. Supporters of the expansion say it will update one of the country’s most congested highways and bring needed tourism revenue to the more isolated and less economically robust northern part of the state. Traffic on I-93 has increased 600 percent since the highway was built in the 1960s and approximately 80,000 cars now drive on it each day.Summary provided by StateImpact NH

New Hampshire Gas Prices Probably Won't Go Much Lower, Analysts Say

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New Hampshire gas prices have continued to drop in recent weeks, though they may start to slowly rise over the coming weeks. 

The latest survey of gas prices from GasBuddy.com shows the average price in the state at $1.68 a gallon.

That's down about a penny a gallon from prices a week ago and almost 14 cents a gallon from last month's average.

Energy analysts say refineries are starting to making their annual transition to more expensive summer blends.

But GasBuddy Senior Petroleum Analyst Greg Laskoski says the increases should be gradual and relatively small compared to prices a few years ago, something between 40 and 70 cents a gallon in all.

"You're looking at $2.40 as the peak at which those prices would hit," Laskoski says. "Most markets aren't even going to see anything close to that. I think most markets are probably going to be looking at something closer to $2.20 or $2.25."

Laskoski says New Hampshire gas prices have stayed relatively low even as the West Coast and the Great Lakes region have seen the cost of gas climb.

Pat Moody of AAA Northern New England adds that other factors may curb the price increases even during the spring transition.

"We have inventories right now that are nearing record highs in terms of storage for crude oil," Moody says. "The refineries are going to start slowing down production to switch over to summer blend fuel. When that happens, we may see a little bit of difference in price, but it shouldn't be as dramatic as what we've seen sometimes in the past."

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