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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

Construction At Hooksett Rest Area Is 'Months' Ahead Of Schedule

Michael Brindley
/
NHPR

  Visitors coming to New Hampshire this Fourth of July weekend via interstate 93 likely noticed the redevelopment of the new rest-stop facilities in Hooksett is moving quickly. According to the Department of Transportation, construction at the rest-area is about three to four months ahead of schedule.

“The Northbound facility is targeting an early September 2014 date for opening of the liquor and wine outlet store, the convenience store, restrooms and interim tourist accommodations,” says DOT spokesman Bill Boynton, “Southbound facilities are targeting similar date later in September.”

A full opening will take place at a yet to be determined date after that, but almost certainly before the original opening scheduled for April of 2015. When completed the rest-areas will also house a diner, sit-down restaurant, deli, and coffee and breakfast shops, on each side of the highway in two 36,000 square foot buildings.

The Hooksett rest areas have remained open throughout construction, and recently food-trucks have been providing motorists with dining options at the site. 

Sam Evans-Brown has been working for New Hampshire Public Radio since 2010, when he began as a freelancer. He shifted gears in 2016 and began producing Outside/In, a podcast and radio show about “the natural world and how we use it.” His work has won him several awards, including two regional Edward R. Murrow awards, one national Murrow, and the Overseas Press Club of America's award for best environmental reporting in any medium. He studied Politics and Spanish at Bates College, and before reporting was variously employed as a Spanish teacher, farmer, bicycle mechanic, ski coach, research assistant, a wilderness trip leader and a technical supporter.
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