Circumferential Highway (Nashua)

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The Circumferential Highway is the commonly accepted name for a bypass route around the city of Nashua in southern New Hampshire, the majority of which has not yet been built. The purpose of the highway is to provide an alternate route for commuters to access the F.E. Everett Turnpike and U.S. Route 3 in Nashua. Most of the highway will be built in Hudson, with small sections also built through the towns of Litchfield and Merrimack as well as the city of Nashua.

Currently, the only segment to be built is a short 2-mile interchange road between US 3, the Daniel Webster Highway, and N.H. Route 3A. This section utilzes a rebuilt portion of the Sagamore Bridge, one of the two current bridges over the Merrimack River connecting the Town of Hudson to the City of Nashua. The completed section begins at US 3, terminates at NH Route 3A to the east, and has a single interchange between its termini with the D.W. Highway before it crosses the river.

1 Justification for the Highway
2 Opposition to the Highway
3 Proposed alternatives
4 Future considerations
5 Related projects
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Justification for the Highway

The Circumferential Highway has been planned since the 1950s^[1], as the need for such a road has been apparent for a long time. To date, however, only a short 2-mile segment has been built. One of the major provisions of the plan for the Highway is to provide a new crossing over the Merrimack River.^[1] Between Lowell, Massachusetts and Manchester, New Hampshire there are only three bridges over the Merrimack River. Drivers wishing to access U.S. Route 3 from the east side of the river have three options (listed here from south to north):

The Tyngsboro Bridge, a very narrow metal cantilever bridge, which was out-of-the way and required a winding trip down several back-country roads to find US 3.
The Sagamore Bridge, which used to require drivers to travel through the highly congested South Nashua retail district along the D.W. Highway and Spit Brook Road to reach the US 3 freeway.
The Taylor Falls/Veterans Memorial Bridges (aka The Hudson Bridge), which put traffic through the city streets of Nashua, such as Hollis Street and Canal Street, streets which crossed several train tracks, and which lacked the capacity to handle the demand.

The Circumferential highway would provide an additional river crossing between Nashua and Manchester, where one does not exist, and would expand the Sagamore Bridge crossing, bypassing the retail district and allowing better access to the US 3 freeway. The 30-year population boom in the region has only heightened the need for additional freeway access.

[edit] Opposition to the Highway

The project has not been without controversy. The highway would be built mostly through the town of Hudson, as well as small portions of Litchfield and Merrimack. This would require the seizure and destruction of many homes, and the filling in of several wetlands. A 1993 report by the EPA expressed an "intent to veto" the project as it was then planned, all but killing the full highway. Of particular concern is the impact on the Pennichuk Watershed, a series of ponds and creeks along the Nashua/Merrimack border. A second study has been ongoing since 1995, but no action has been made on it.^[1]^[2] Political and environmental roadblocks have caused delays for years.

Additionally, despite the population boom, there may no longer be the need for the entirety of the road as planned. The part of the Highway that has been built, including the Sagamore Bridge rebuild, has bypassed the worst traffic problem, and allows easy access to U.S. 3 as well as the D.W. Highway shopping district. Widening of Route 3A in Hudson has aleviated a lot of the traffic problem as well. Travellers also have alternate routes, especially for longer distance north-south travel. Drivers heading north of Manchester or south of Lowell can take I-93 to the east, a relatively uncongested rural highway. Also, US 3 in Nashua has been extensively rebuilt and widened, improving access and capacity.

[edit] Proposed alternatives

Ten different alternatives have been proposed to the road.^[1] A brief description of some of them:

A "No Build" option, which leaves the entire situation at the current status quo.
Alternatives to the northern crossing, planned in the vicinity of the Pennichuck Watershed, by choosing a less damaging crossing site. This could possibly include crossings that do not include connections to the Everett Turnpike.
Rather than a four lane freeway, the road could be built as a "super-two" highway, with at-grade crossings, a lower speed limit, and limited driveway access.
A southern crossing that may also include the removal of the Taylor Falls/Veterans Memorial bridges connecting Hudson and Nashua. This option may alleviate much of the traffic problems, but would also generate considerable social and economic stress.

[edit] Future considerations

Although recent road improvements have helped alleviate some of the traffic problems, other problems that the Circumferential Highway project is supposed to remedy still have not been addressed:

There is still no river crossing between the Hudson Bridge and I-293 in Manchester. Residents of Litchfield or Merrimack must travel 5-6 miles in either direction to cross the river. This has been cited as the major cause for keeping the project going despite years of historical setbacks.
Use of the Taylor Falls/Veterans Memorial Bridges still causes problems. Hollis Street can still be a huge traffic problem, especially with the train crossings so close to the bridge. The US 3 Exit 5 rebuild and expansion has helped access at the highway, but getting to and from the highway can still create problems.
Though eminent domain has been sited as a possible concern, the towns of Hudson and Litchfield have specifically avoided zoning for additional construction near the proposed path of the highway. Though no official right-of-way has been established, this has created a virtual right-of-way for most of the proposed course.

[edit] Related projects

Several other road improvement projects have been considered to compliment the Circumfrential Highway:^[1]

A proposed Broad Street Parkway along a realigned NH 130 has been closely tied to this project. However, delays in the Circumferential Highway should not negatively impact this project.
Amherst Street (NH 101A) widening is included in all proposals for the Circumferential Highway.
The construction of the Manchester Airport Access Road, which has since been completed, has also been included in all proposals for the Circumferential Highway.

[edit] See also

Vermont Route 289, the Chittenden County Circumferential Highway, a similarly proposed and delayed bypass around Burlington, Vermont which has been partially completed, but at a smaller scale than originally planned.
List of highways named Circumferential Highway