SAFETY CONGESTION PAVEMENT CONDITION CLARITY OF SIGNING AESTHETICS
8 7 7 6 8
I-93 is the lifeline of New Hampshire as it is the only interstate to serve the White Mountains and major tourist areas in the northern part of the state.
From the Massachusetts border to Manchester, I-93 is a boring 1960's-style four-lane highway badly in need of an upgrade. The section from Manchester to the Hopkinton tollbooth was built in 1977 and is a modern six-lane highway. I-93 through Concord is a 1950's / 1960's tight four- lane freeway that can become a bottleneck during holiday weekends and there has been talk of widening it up to as many as 8 lanes and possibly moving it to the other side of the Merrimac river.
From Concord to Franconia Notch, I-93 is a pleasant ride with the scenery becoming more interesting the further north you go. I-93 through Franconia Notch, which was built in the mid-to-late 1980's, is a limited access parkway between two and four lanes, with easy access to all the attractions and spectacular scenery. It is multiplexed with US 3 for most of the route. North of the notch to Vermont is typical rural interstate with hardly any traffic congestion to speak of.
The pavement on I-93 seems to be in good shape most of the time, surprising for a place that has such harsh winters.
Reviewed by: Steve Anderson Last Traveled: 1994
SAFETY CONGESTION PAVEMENT CONDITION CLARITY OF SIGNING AESTHETICS
6 8 8 8 9
I-93 through New Hampshire is one pleasurable drive, particularly during peak foliage season in the fall. Except for the extreme southern portion of the state, where planning is underway to widen the highway from four to eight lanes, I-93 is a relatively congestion-free drive.
With the demise of the "Old Man of the Mountain" in May 2003, it may be time to reconsider four-laning the Franconia Notch Parkway, which is a relatively unsafe 45 MPH "super-2" design.
