I just don't understand the logic behind the DOT's massive scale down of the highway project on Rte 93. We have collectively been strategizing regionally for the widening of I93 from 2 lanes to 4 lanes in both the North and South bound traffic. For years, we have heard that it is important to do for many reasons and mostly because of safety reasons. How many times and how many stories have we heard about traffic deaths on Rte 93. Year after year, the stories get worse. Commuters are jammed in on a daily basis moving from job to home and talk about bumper to bumper, Its not difficult to see how the next set of accidents will be multi-car accidents. 5,10,15 cars at at time. Could you not see in the future a deer running out and someone hitting the brakes during commuter times, Yikes!
Now comes the DOT in their infinitive wisdom, saying we just don't have the money to do the I93 project completely. They want to stop at Windham. So from Salem to Windham they will fix and postpone From Derry/Londonderry and Manchester. Folks does it make sense to postpone the project from the communities with the most populace? Are not the most accidents between Exits 5 and 4 already?
Band-Aid approaches are not the way to go here- We are talking about peoples lives, and livelihood's. The "gateway into NH" if you will. The DOT should stay the course of doing the whole 93 project, today and lets find a way to make it a priority!
What are your thoughts??
Now comes the DOT in their infinitive wisdom, saying we just don't have the money to do the I93 project completely. They want to stop at Windham. So from Salem to Windham they will fix and postpone From Derry/Londonderry and Manchester. Folks does it make sense to postpone the project from the communities with the most populace? Are not the most accidents between Exits 5 and 4 already?
Band-Aid approaches are not the way to go here- We are talking about peoples lives, and livelihood's. The "gateway into NH" if you will. The DOT should stay the course of doing the whole 93 project, today and lets find a way to make it a priority!
What are your thoughts??
6 comments:
I think this might fall into the nice-to-have category, but there needs to be money for it (gas tax or increase in tolls). Why aren't gas taxes expressed as a percentage (like most sales taxes) instead of a fixed value (cents/gallon)? Just as the cost of everything goes up over time, so too do our highway construction costs.
I don't think that expanding our highway will significantly reduce accidents. Maybe some better driving habits would be worth following:
- if it's raining, or foggy, or approaching dusk, turn your lights on
- put your turn signal on before you change lanes
- on a highway, traffic will typically be flowing around 65-75 miles/hour. If for any reason you need to slow down and are traveling less than 40 miles/hour, turn on your hazard lights. (This technique is used very much in Germany where you can be going 120 miles/hour one minute and approaching a bunch of stop and go traffic the next).
As for the deer, would a simple fence work? Whether you are on the highway or a side road, it's hard to avoid deer since their movements are very unpredictable.
Funny about the DOT, I was just reading an article in the Nashua Telegraph about how they are starting a project to build a bridge and access road to the Manchester airport. Bridges across the Merrimack river are quite scarce between the MA line and Manchester, but rather that building an obviously needed Litchfield-Merrimack bridge, we are going to build a bridge right next to another bridge on I-293 (and right next to a bunch of local road bridges in Manchester).
Wouldn't it be cool if there was an hourly train that connected Boston to Manchester? That might be a more long term solution to our traffic congestion problem.
Great post by Peter D. Well thought out and presented.
I have a suggestion Brian: how about an 'open town meeting' heading for the next subject? That way anyone can get whatever is off their chest. It also helps you because you do not have to keep coming up with the subjects.
anonymous,
I like your idea! Next topic will be Open Forum. I would also like to install a local chat section ( in real time ) so that as people log-on to 03038 blogspot, they will be able to discuss with everyone else. Should have it up very soon.
I feel that this is the State giving Derry & Londonderry the short end like always.
I am not a commuter but last Thursday I was returning from my Daughters House in Tewsbury MA on RT. 93 at 5:45 PM. It took me over 45 minutes to get from Mass Exit 41 to NH Exit 1 at which point I got off Rt. 93. The traffic was backed up for as far as I could see. This is not the 1st time this has happened.
With all due respect to you Peter D. The NH DOT needs to get it act together and do the complete widening now of RT. 93. Trains, (Which would be neat. They however would not solve the problem with all commuters, vacationers, weekend travelers, or truckers.) proper driving habits, and Deer Fences, will not solve the real problem with RT. 93 which is, that it is now well beyond its design capacity, and is getting more dangerous all the time.
If the State of NH wants to encourage economic growth here and not send it up to Maine on RT. 95, than the State of NH has to provide the proper infrastructure now. Just like the State did on the Everett Turnpike in Nashua & Merrimack. Derry & Londonderry should be treated no less by the State.
This not now, maybe later on if all is well, and the economy improves attitude that is currently around here is really starting to get old.
Yes, I can say that I-93 does back up every weekday at the aptly named "lane drop" which occurs right around the NH-MA line. If you widen the road and move the lane drop to Windham, then traffic is still going to back up, but just shifted a bit north. I do have many occasions to drive 93 from where it starts south of Boston, and condition of the road surface seems to be the best in NH. In MA, there are a lot more curves in the road, more potholes, and they seem to use some paint for the lines that quickly fades so in some spots you can hardly see the lines at all.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for widening 93 from the NH line to Manchester, but I think the NH DOT is claiming they don't have enough money, and I don't think this is really surprising. Is Derry really the only place they are cutting back?
I wonder how the situation would look if we raised our gas taxes to be in line with Europe? So, instead of about $3/gallon, it would be about $8/gallon. People would find ways to avoid using so much gas: not driving as much, carpooling, bicycling, walking, moving closer to work, using public transportation (right now very sparse in NH, but that could change). It's a lot more fuel efficient to drive around a small passenger car (with a trailer when needed) then it is to drive a pick up truck.
Well, I happen to be one of the people that have just been issued an "eminant domain" letter and I don't want any of this to happen in my backyard. I drive to Boston everyday and if I can avoid having 4a take my house or my yard, then I will gladly slow down at Windham for the next 30 years!
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