LEBANON — As planning for the next 10 years of infrastructure projects continues in New Hampshire, the Department of Transportation, or DOT, is navigating a $400 million funding shortfall for the $2.46 billion plan.
The Legislature is required to approve a 10-year transportation improvement plan every two years that outlines proposed infrastructure projects such as bridge repairs, sidewalk construction, traffic flow and intersection improvements and airport work. The Governor’s Advisory Council on Intermodal Transportation, which includes the Executive Council and the state’s transportation commissioner is reviewing a draft of the next plan that will cover 2027 through 2036.
A public hearing to discuss the plan is scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Lebanon City Hall. Residents can offer feedback on the proposed projects, cuts and local infrastructure priorities. After the commission receives feedback, the plan will go to the Legislature and the governor for approval.
The DOT reviewed its recommended plan to find potential cost-savings this spring. As a blanket recommendation, funding will be preserved for all bridge projects, preservation and maintenance projects and individual projects that are locally managed. This includes 23 projects in the Upper Valley.
Outside of this, the department evaluated 88 individual DOT-managed projects, including three in the Upper Valley, to find cuts. They are also recommending that no new projects be included in the plan.
As part of the short-list evaluation, the Department delayed one Enfield project to add shoulders and make repairs to the section of U.S. Route 4 from Main Street in Enfield to Lebanon.
The state is planning to allocate about $9 million to the project to cover engineering and right of way preparation costs, but does not plan to complete construction in the next 10 years.
By funding the prep work, DOT will be ready to start the project if it manages to secure additional unexpected funding, said Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill, D-Lebanon, who is overseeing Tuesday’s meeting.
The short list also includes one project in Charlestown and one in Lebanon, neither of which is recommended to be cut.
In Lebanon, the state recommends $24.7 million for a wide-ranging project that will update intersections and infrastructure on Route 120 from Exit 18 on Interstate 89 to Etna Road in order to handle the high volume of traffic the area sees during peak commuting times. The project is parallel to the city’s ongoing Route 120 corridor study. Construction is scheduled to start in 2032.
In Charlestown, $18 million is being allocated to “reconstruct or rehabilitate” about 2.4 miles of Route 12A. Construction is scheduled to start in 2028.
Tuesday’s meeting is one of eight that Liot Hill has scheduled across her Executive Council district which stretches along the western side of the state from Littleton down to the Massachusetts line and encompasses all of the Upper Valley. In five meetings held so far, Liot Hill said residents were frustrated about delayed projects, especially a major turnpike project in the Concord area and the funding shortage.
As a potential revenue solution, Liot Hill said she is considering proposing an increase in tolls on state turnpikes. The rates, which don’t exceed $2 for a two-axle vehicle, are controlled by the Executive Council and have not been increased since 2007. There could be discounts for New Hampshire residents and frequent users such as commuters, she said.
The full draft plan and the short list are online at dot.nh.gov/projects-plans-and-programs/ten-year-plan. Residents can submit written comments online at https://tinyurl.com/4nfn429k until 4 p.m. on Nov. 3.