Did a Tiny Windham Brook Cut the I-93 WIdening Project from 4 lanes to 3?

In excess of $800 million dollars was budgeted to widen I-93 from two lanes to four between the Massachusetts state line and Manchester. With 80% of the funding coming from the Feds, NH residents will pony up $160 million to pay for doubling the highway’s capacity. Motorists and commuters will endure 15 to 20 years of roadwork from start to finish, hoping for relief to traffic backups and congestion – but that relief may not come, after all that time and all that money is spent. Environmental groups opposed to the highway widening project identified salt levels in Windham’s Dinsmore Brook during certain months of the year (typically when the brook is running low or dry) as being elevated.  Thus, Dinsmore Brook was identified as “impaired for chlorides” and this impairment was linked to salts being used during highway winter maintenance. In response, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and NH Department of Environmental Services (DES) are mandating the DOT cut their salt usage in half at exit 3 before the 4th lane can open. In a 2005 Record of Decision, the Federal Highway Administration and NH DOT agreed to no additional chloride loadings from the project to impaired water bodies.  This resulted in the reduction of paved lanes of I-93 passing through Windham from four to THREE lanes. To make matters worse, rather than create a bottleneck in Windham, the entire highway project will now only be paved for three lanes. So when this $800 million project is finally complete, I-93 is now slated to open with only THREE lanes paved instead of four. 

So it looks like very little relief for New Hampshire’s I-93 commuters can be expected in the near future while taxpayers are still on the hook for the $800 million.

The Windham Economic Development Committee – Keeping you informed and remaining dedicated to enhancing the vitality of the local economy to balance the tax base for all Windham residents. Visit us on line at: www.windhamnewhampshire.com/committees/economic-development-committee