The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, which has been called the most ambitious public works project built since the Roman Empire, is the most critical link in New Hampshire’s transportation system. New Hampshire’s extensive system of roads, highways, bridges and public transit provides the state’s residents, visitors and businesses with a high level of mobility. As the backdrop that supports the Granite State’s economy, New Hampshire’s surface transportation system provides for travel to work and school, visits to family and friends, and trips to tourist and recreation attractions while simultaneously providing businesses with reliable access for customers, suppliers, shipping and employees. With the state’s population continuing to grow, New Hampshire must maintain and improve its system of roads, highways, bridges and public transit in order to foster economic growth, keep business in the state, and ensure safe, reliable mobility, all of which improve the quality of life expected by state residents and visitors.
As New Hampshire looks to rebound from the current economic downturn, the state will need to modernize its surface transportation system by improving its physical condition and enhancing the system’s ability to provide efficient and reliable mobility for residents, visitors and businesses. Making needed improvements to New Hampshire’s roads, highways, bridges and transit could provide a significant boost to the state’s economy by creating jobs and stimulating long-term economic growth as a result of enhanced access and mobility.
- In 2008, 12 percent of major roads were rated in poor condition and an additional 21 percent were in mediocre condition.
- Nearly one-third of bridges in New Hampshire are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Deficient and obsolete bridges impact commercial and personal mobility as well as safety.
- New Hampshire has also experienced significant economic growth since 1990. From 1990 to 2008, New Hampshire’s gross domestic product (GDP), a measure of the state’s economic output, increased by 53 percent, when adjusted for inflation.
Ten Year Plan
The Ten Year Plan contains projects addressing highways, railroads, transit, bicycles, pedestrians, and aeronautics. The plan encompasses a number of different programs and associated funding sources. The first Ten Year Plan was legislated in 1986.
The Ten Year process is as follows:
1. Regional Planning Commissions submit plans to NH DOT
2. NH DOT prepares a financially constrained draft Ten Year Plan
3. Executive Councilors (who along with the NH DOT Commissioner make up the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Intermodal Transportation (GACIT)) chair public hearings around the State regarding the draft
4. GACIT meets to make their final recommendations. The draft ten Year plan is submitted to the Governor. The Governor reviews the plan, modified it and submits it to the Legislature
5. Legislature holds hearings on the Ten Year Plan and legislates the approved Ten Year Plan into law
The 2009-2018 Ten Year Plan includes substantial reductions in projects (and in some cases costs of projects) from the previous 2007-2016 Ten Year Plan to develop a financially constrained plan aligned more closely to anticipated revenue. The previous Ten Year plan contained approximately $4 billion of highway and bridge project costs with incoming revenue of approximately $2.1 billion. The approved 2009-2018 Ten Year Plan contains highway and bridge (excluding turnpike system) projects totaling an estimated $2.3 billion against the projected $2.1 billion.
Betterment
Betterment funds are used to address emergency work (due to flooding, critical bridge damage, etc.), and where applicable the program is reimbursed with available federal aid (Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) funds or Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Emergency Aid funds). The Betterment Program has funded approximately 65 projects per year to remove/stabilize rock cuts; erect snow fencing on bridges; provide traffic signal upgrades; reconstruct/improve intersections; replace large diameter drainage culverts; upgrade guardrail; repair, crack seal, and repave highways; repair, reconstruct, and paint bridges.
- During FY 2007, the Betterment Program funded over $3.2 million in flood related projects where no other means of funding repairs was immediately possible.
- In FY 2009, the Betterment fund spent $1.32 million on bridges, $17.8 million in paving, $4.3 million in projects and $1.96 million in floods as of August of 2009.
- Currently, $10-12 million of Betterment funds are used for pavement resurfacing annually.
- Since 2001, approximately 12% of all Betterment funds were expanded on the repair/replacement of bridges, while 58% was spent on pavement resurfacing.