(Second New Title) relative to toll rate adjustments for the New Hampshire turnpike system to support the 2027-2036 ten-year transportation plan
Summary
SB 627 revises New Hampshire turnpike toll policy to raise rates at several plazas and to tie future toll review to inflation. The bill sets new toll schedules for cash users and for vehicles not registered to a funded New Hampshire E-ZPass account at Hooksett, Bedford, Hampton, Dover, and Rochester plazas, with different amounts by plaza and vehicle class. It also preserves lower rates for funded E-ZPass users, but repeals the existing statutory E-ZPass discount on established tolls and replaces it with the new rate structure.
The bill also requires the statewide transportation improvement program to include a comparison of current toll rates against the Department of Transportation’s projected inflation rate for review by the governor’s advisory commission on intermodal transportation and the legislature. In addition, it amends the toll statute governing the New Hampshire turnpike system to support the 2027–2036 ten-year transportation plan and related operating, maintenance, and capital needs. The fiscal note indicates the bill would increase Turnpike Fund revenue substantially over the next several fiscal years, while also creating possible administrative and software implementation costs for the Department of Transportation.
Impact
The bill would amend RSA 237:9 to authorize higher toll rates on the New Hampshire turnpike system and would amend RSA 228:99 to add an inflation comparison requirement to the statewide transportation improvement program. It would also repeal RSA 237:11, V, eliminating the current statutory E-ZPass discount on established tolls. The practical effect is to increase toll revenue dedicated to the turnpike system, affecting motorists differently depending on whether they pay cash or use funded E-ZPass accounts, and to give policymakers a formal inflation-based review mechanism for future toll decisions.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill was controversial and did not advance cleanly, as it was sent to interim study by a close House vote of 151 yeas to 157 nays. That outcome indicates significant concern among legislators about the toll increases and related policy changes, even though the bill was framed as necessary to fund the next ten-year transportation plan. No committee transcript is available here, but the fiscal note’s projected revenue gains show the bill was viewed as a major funding measure for transportation infrastructure.
Contention
The main point of contention appears to be the size and structure of the toll increases, especially the higher cash rates and the repeal of the existing E-ZPass discount. Supporters likely viewed the bill as a needed funding mechanism for turnpike operations, maintenance, and planned projects, while opponents likely objected to the burden on drivers and the shift in toll policy. The bill’s treatment of funded E-ZPass accounts versus cash and non-funded accounts also suggests debate over fairness, commuter impacts, and whether toll policy should be used to steer payment behavior. The interim-study vote indicates those disagreements were substantial enough to delay further action.
Establishing a recruitment incentive program within the community college system for public safety communicators and dispatchers and making an appropriation therefor.
(Second New Title) establishing a committee to study aiding the growth of assistive technology businesses and adoption of assistive technologies in New Hampshire.