I-93 Salem to Manchester Widening & Improvements

The $760M I-93 Salem to Manchester improvement project is in the final phases of completion with construction planned to be finished in the Fall of 2020. The project, which is 19.8 miles long, reconstructs and widens the interstate to four lanes in each direction and completes work on 45 bridges and major culverts, removing 20 bridges from the states “red-list” (or structurally deficient) bridges. The project passes through five communities: Salem, Windham, Derry, Londonderry, and Manchester, which are accessed via Exits 1 through 5. The project corridor also includes sections of NH Route 97 (Pelham Road), NH Route 38, NH Route 111, NH Route 111A, NH Route 102 and NH Route 28, as well as several municipally-owned and maintained roadways. These roads provide crucial east-west access to dozens of secondary communities throughout southern New Hampshire.

Once completed later this year, the project will improve transportation efficiency and reduce safety problems associated with this segment of highway. The travel demands for I-93 between Salem and Manchester have exceeded the capacity of the existing four-lane facility for a number of years, resulting in increased levels of congestion and an increased number of crashes. Once completed, travel times will significantly improve.

In addition to the overall corridor highway improvements, two new park-and-ride lots have been added and bus service facilities have been constructed at Exits 2 and 5. Improvements were also made to the existing park-and-ride facility at Exit 4 with a new bus terminal opened at that location. And, a new upgraded park-and-ride facility was completed at Exit 3.

Early construction of the park-and-ride facilities at Exits 2 and 5 plus the implementation of expanded bus services were proposed in advance of the mainline highway widening work to provide options for commuters seeking alternatives during construction. Expanded bus services began in November 2008 with additional roundtrips from Exits 2 and 5, as well as service at Exit 4. The park-and-ride facilities also made it easier to participate in a ride-sharing program, such as vanpooling or carpooling.

Intelligent Transportation System technologies and Incident Management strategies were also integral parts of the overall transportation improvement strategy for the I-93 corridor to improve safety, ease congestion, and more effectively provide traffic-related information to the public. NHDOT implemented measures such as variable message boards, highway advisory radio broadcasts, web site information, automatic email updates, emergency reference markers, and coordination strategies among safety agencies.

Construction of the proposed modifications to the I-93 corridor and the implementation of the above-described transportation strategies are improving overall transportation efficiency within the 19.8-mile corridor. By modernizing the highway and increasing its capacity, mobility will be improved and congestion minimized, resulting in a more efficient transportation corridor and improved safety.

More information on the project may be found at http://www.rebuildingi93.com/.

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