The projected price tag for the long-discussed expansion of I-93 and I-89 in Concord and Bow has risen to $370 million, almost 50% more than projections made before the pandemic, with the purchase of rights-of-way now slated for 2026 and first major construction for 2029.
The state Department of Transportation will hold a public information session on what its calling the Bow-Concord Project, including time for questions, on Thursday, Oct. 24, in the Concord Community Center, 14 Canterbury Road, starting at 6 p.m.
The project, which has been in planning stages for well over a decade, would add a lane to I-93 in both directions over a five-mile stretch in Concord, making major changes to Exits 12 through 15 and some adjoining streets, as well as at Exit 1 on I-89 in Bow.
As detailed by an interactive website at www.bow-concord.com, the project would involve some non-car-related work such as moving railroad tracks, expanding the Merrimack River Greenway Trail and adding some bicycle and pedestrian lanes, although the vast majority of its effort is aimed at helping more cars and trucks move around.
If the schedule stays as projected in the state’s 10-year transportation plan funding, work on major repairs of bridges, probably the most urgent part of the whole project, would start in 2029. A total of 33 bridges will be rehabbed or replaced under the project, including six that are “red-listed,” meaning state engineers have said they are most in need of repair. More than 120 bridges around the state are on this red list.
The DOT says it “has programmed Federal Highway and Turnpike Toll funds to pay for the project,” with “no local funds.”
One possibility that isn’t mentioned on the website plan is building a separate pedestrian bridge over the Merrimack River to better connect the two halves of Concord, something that city officials have brought up.
Like many cities in the 19th and early 20th century, Concord developed its river as a transportation and industrial corridor, lining its western bank with roads, railroads and electric transmission systems that have walled it off from downtown.
Due to environmental improvements, the Merrimack River is now clean enough that people want to enjoy it but a century of infrastructure is in the way. Many in Concord see the I-93 redesign as their best chance to fix this and have been pushing transportation planners to give more thought to ways to better connect the city with the river.
The state lists a number of benefits from the Bow-Concord Project, including “reducing congestion,” a possibility that will resonate with the area after seeing recent traffic jams due to leaf-peepers. This aspect is controversial due to what is known as induced demand, in which enlarging roads ends up attracting more drivers, leaving it just as crowded as before but with more vehicles involved.
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