New Hampshire Executive Councilor Backs Toll Increase to Fund Turnpike Projects

New Hampshire Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill has proposed a solution to funding New Hampshire turnpike projects.

In an editorial published by the New Hampshire Union Leader on Tuesday, Nov. 18, Liot Hill argued that the New Hampshire Turnpike System should stay self-funded through tolls, avoiding broader taxpayer subsidies.

Liot Hill noted that turnpike tolls have remained unchanged since 2007, even as construction costs and safety needs rise. This fact has made a targeted price adjustment necessary, she said. Liot Hill also stated that putting the burden on taxpayers is especially unfair to those living in rural communities, "which already carry an outsized burden when state dollars fall short," she noted.

As a city councilor for 20 years, Liot Hill believes the need is real and urgent. Exits 6 and 7 in Manchester are among the most congested areas in the state. 

"The Bow–Concord corridor is the gateway to the Capital Region, the Lakes Region, and the North Country, and is one of the most important transportation junctions in northern New England. Both require safety improvements, redesigned interchanges, and modernized bridges. These aren't optional; they are overdue," Liot Hill stated.

She proposes a modest toll increase with discounts for New Hampshire residents as a fair, responsible funding method that preserves the original user‑pays principle.

"If we want safe exits in Manchester, a functional gateway in Concord, and a statewide highway plan that doesn't rob rural communities to fund turnpike corridors, we must fund the system honestly and sustainably," she concluded.