Residents of Bow and Concord had their first opportunity Wednesday to weigh in on the massive overhaul planned for 4.5 miles of highway along Interstate 93 between Exit 15 and the interchange with Interstate 89.
Along with widening the north-south interstate, the project seeks to alleviate difficult on- and off-ramps and plan for higher traffic capacities in the future.
After viewing the concepts drafted by the engineering firm McFarland Johnson to achieve those goals – 10 alternatives for four zones – the residents in attendance Wednesday at the Bow Memorial School gymnasium voiced more questions than preferences.
For instance, one man pointed to what was perhaps the greatest point of traffic conflict – the proximity of Exits 14 and 15 – and wondered whether one of the two could be eliminated.
“I’m not sure how that’s going to go over in Concord,” replied Gene McCarthy, the McFarland Johnson engineer in charge of the presentation, explaining that their goal was to maintain as much existing access as possible.
None of the engineers’ suggestions eliminated any exits, although some concepts nix the northbound entrance ramp onto I-93 at Exit 14 to make space for the highway lanes to extend east.
“There are two (exits) downtown,” McCarthy continued, “and you say, ‘Which one is more important?’ It’s a hard choice. I don’t think we have said ‘Let’s get rid of one of them.’ We’re trying to maintain it.”
Another attendee commented that two of the concepts for I-89 would eliminate direct access from that highway to Route 3A, an important stretch for businesses in Bow.
“The access is still there, but yeah, it’s more convoluted,” McFarland acknowledged, noting that the alternate path was a necessary downside to improve or eliminate traffic weaving in that area. “That’s just one of the casualties of doing that. We’ve been trying to find other ways of doing it, but trying to improve those weaves, with all those different movements, that’s what ended up happening.”
The estimated cost of the three alternatives for the I-89 zone demonstrates another challenge of the project. The first concept, which merely moves exit ramps to create distance for accelerating and merging between Exit 1 and I-93, is projected to cost $30 million. It would also impact conservation land in the Cilley State Forest and some private parcels.
The other alternatives increase the price dramatically as they create new bridges and “collector-distributor roads” that divide segments of traffic, similar to the E-ZPass lanes at the Hooksett tolls. These concepts can eliminate weaving altogether, but they’re priced at $62.5 million and $87.6 million – two or almost three times the cost of the first solution. Those two would also require the state to buy the Bow Mobil station, McFarland said.
“You’re eliminating the weaving, but all those bridges and some of those property impacts certainly add to the cost,” he said.
The solutions proposed for the area between Exit 14 and Exit 15 are even more costly. One concept would depress I-93 so it runs underneath Loudon Road, flipping the orientation from present day. The view of downtown would be obscured for drivers as they approach and pass under Loudon Road in this concept, according to a computer-generated video demonstrating the concept.
This project would cost an estimated $163.2 million and add six bridges in the zone between exits 14 and 15, although it would completely eliminate weaving at multiple interchanges.
Another concept for that zone surprised engineers, McCarthy said, when it turned out to be even more expensive at $186.2 million. The collector-divider roads used in that plan require the interstate to shift west, cutting off access to Stickney Avenue and the Ralph Pill Building and crashing into the utility substation.
“Very expensive,” McCarthy said. “We’ve hit cultural resources, we’ve hit a public utility. The ramp requires that the railroad has to be relocated, and now we’re impacting the Burlington Coat Factory building. So, even though it’s doing a lot of stuff on 93, there’s ramifications.”
Much of the money to pay for this work has also yet to be appropriated. The state’s 10-year highway plan through 2028 includes $61.4 million, about $46.5 million of which is for actual construction starting in 2024. Engineers said they hope the project will qualify for some federal funding to offset the additional cost to the state.
More information about the plans and opportunities to submit feedback online can be found at i93bowconcord.com. Another meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday at Rundlett Middle School in Concord.
(Nick Reid can be reached at 369-3325, nreid@cmonitor.com or on Twitter at
@NickBReid.)