Concord, NH - Today, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) joined N.H. Transportation Commissioner Victoria Sheehan for a tour of several North Country road projects that are essential to both the safety of Granite State drivers and the economic health of the North Country. 

Congresswoman Kuster worked for nearly two years to help secure the federal funds supporting the crucial infrastructure projects, through a Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan awarded earlier this year to the State of New Hampshire and the N.H. Department of Transportation. The $200 million loan, administered by the Federal Highway Administration, is helping to fund the completion of the I-93 expansion project in the Southern Tier, to repair as many as 24 Red List bridges, and to pave approximately 1,100 miles of roads all across the state.  The loan will help cover the cost of the projects Kuster toured today, including the Lancaster-Guildhall Bridge replacement in Lancaster and the re-paving of Route 3 in Stratford, among others.  

“A robust and well maintained transportation network is essential to the health, safety and economic well-being of the Granite State,” Kuster said. “It is exactly these types of expansion and restoration projects that will have a deep impact all across the state for years to come. They will help ensure the safety of our motorists and provide easier access to our businesses.

“Here in New Hampshire, 13 percent of our bridges are considered structurally unsound. We must invest in our infrastructure now to ensure North Country small businesses and communities have access to the tools and resources they need to compete and thrive in the 21^st century economy. I am proud to have worked from the start with the N.H. Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and Governor Hassan to bring the TIFIA program to New Hampshire. I look forward to continuing our work together in support of our transportation system and the Granite State economy.”

Congresswoman Kuster has long advocated for increased federal investment in New Hampshire’s transportation network.  She has proposed legislative solutions for increasing cost-savings at the federal level in order to replenish the Highway Trust Fund in years past, and she has toured infrastructure projects throughout the state to highlight the economic and community importance of improving New Hampshire’s transportation infrastructure. 

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