Fixing NH's Roads Proves Difficult

In Seacoast Sunday, Distant Dome reporter Gary Rayno summed up the problem facing NH high way funding. Here are some highlights.

The House last week and this week will put off one of the major issues it needs to address and has needed to solve for some time: diminishing revenues for the state Highway Fund which pays for state road and bridge work.

For years, the state has made the fund solvent with baling wire and string, like selling sections of road to the turnpike system, but the slight-of-hand is about to be exposed.

The House Public Works Committee voted 17-3 to approve Plaistow Rep. Norm Major’s House Bill 1649 to establish a road usage fee to capture some of the Highway Fund revenue lost due to fuel efficiency and electric-powered vehicles through the gas tax.

In committee the bill had unanimous Republican support as member Rep. John Graham, R-Bedford, a bill sponsor, urged his colleagues to face the music if they want their roads and bridges maintained. However, when the bill went before the full House last week, support from both parties was weak. An attempt to table the bill failed on a 206-120 vote, while approving it failed on a 173-144 vote, before a voice vote killed the bill.

This week lawmakers will also act on House Bill 1650, which also attempts to refill the Highway Fund, but uses a vehicle’s weight and miles driven to set the usage fee. The House Public Works Committee voted 15-4 to recommend the bill be killed, saying there were too many issues that needed to be addressed or were unworkable.

There is no reason to believe the fate of HB 1650 will be any different than HB 1649 and another two-year session will pass without lawmakers recharging the Highway Fund with enough revenue to fill the reservoir. Last year the fund collected $226.4 million, but garnered $249 million in 2008.

The sooner something is done the more likely the Department of Transportation does not fall further behind on maintenance work and may begin to address the backlog that has been building for some time. While the average driver appreciates good roads and bridges, commerce depends on it including the pervasive tourism industry.