In order to solve traffic congestion, the state’s Department of Transportation has recently stated that it will open a fourth lane on Interstate 93 and rebuild the I-93 intersection in the center of Concord. Both of these projects satisfy the definition of insanity – continuing to do something you know will not work.
Building new highways doesn’t solve congestion because more highways attract more cars causing more congestion. In addition these projects will funnel congestion into Massachusetts. You only have to read last week’s Spotlight article in the Boston Globe to see that sending more traffic to Massachusetts will only cause backups in New Hampshire.
The core of our problem is that we have a Department of Highway Construction, not a Department of Transportation. The only way NHDOT can think of solving congestion is by building more highways. Massachusetts isn’t planning on adding more highways to accept more New Hampshire traffic. New Hampshire will only be sending New Hampshire drivers down to add to sit in traffic in Massachusetts.
We should require NHDOT to come up alternatives to building more highways. We should then evaluate the long range effect of more highways against those alternatives.
ALEX BERNHARD
Concord