AASHTO Journal, 25 April 2014
The New Hampshire House on Wednesday passed a bill to increase the state’s gas tax 4.2 cents, an outcome made possible through a bipartisan effort aimed at repairing the state’s roads and bridges.
SB 367, which passed the Senate last month, increases New Hampshire’s gas tax from 18 cents-per-gallon to 22.2 cents. This represents the first gas tax increase in the state since 1991, with all proceeds dedicated to state and local bridge and roadway fixes. The bill is expected to bring in an extra $32 million in revenue each year, with just over 40 percent of that to go toward bonding for the widening of Interstate 93. The measure keeps that 4.2-cent gas tax increase for 20 years or when the bonding is paid off, after which it is repealed.
“A solid, modern transportation infrastructure is the foundation for long-term economic growth, critical to the success of New Hampshire’s people and businesses,” said Governor Maggie Hassan in a statement upon the measure’s passage. “Today’s bipartisan vote to strengthen infrastructure investment reinforces that there is broad agreement about the need to take action, and I applaud the House of Representatives for taking action to improve our roads and bridges.”
In addition to raising the gas tax, the measure also creates a commission to look into New Hampshire Department of Transportation’s operations to determine its efficiency and removes a toll on an Everett Turnpike exit.
Hassan will receive the measure in the coming days and is “looking forward” to signing it.
Additional information on SB 367 is available here.