The New Hampshire Turnpike System is a system of 93 miles (150 km) of limited-access highway, 36 miles (58 km) of which are part of the National Highway System, within the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The Turnpike System is managed by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) Bureau of Turnpikes.
| New Hampshire Turnpike System | |
|---|---|
    Standard highway markers for U.S. Route 4, New Hampshire Route 16, Interstate 95, and the Blue Star Turnpike | |
| Highway names | |
| Interstates | Interstate X (I-X) |
| US Highways | U.S. Route n (US X or Route X) |
| State | New Hampshire Route X (NH X or Route X) |
| System links | |
Historical
editThere were a number of turnpikes built in New Hampshire during the period of 1796 to 1830, totaling 500 miles (800 km) in length.[1] These were toll roads for horse traffic, which were built by private companies.[1] Such early turnpikes included:
- First New Hampshire Turnpike – 36 miles (58 km) from Durham to Concord, now part of U.S. Route 4.[2]
- Second New Hampshire Turnpike – Claremont to Amherst.[3] Parts of the route are incorporated in the current NH 31 and NH 47.
- Third New Hampshire Turnpike – from Walpole through Keene to Townsend, Massachusetts.[1] The road followed much of what is now NH 124.
- Chester Turnpike Road – from Pembroke through Allenstown and Candia to Chester.[1]
- Coös Turnpike Road – from Haverhill through Piermont to Warren.[1]
- Grafton Turnpike Road – from Orford to Andover.[1]
- Londonderry Turnpike Road – from Concord to Windham and Salem, via Londonderry.[1] NH 28 Bypass is officially named Londonderry Turnpike.
Current
editThere are three limited-access highways that make up the New Hampshire Turnpike System:
| Number | Length (mi)[4] | Length (km) | Southern or western terminus | Northern or eastern terminus | Formed | Removed | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Blue Star Turnpike
|
16.13 | 25.96 |  I-95 at Salisbury, MA |
I-95 at Kittery, ME
|
1957 | current | also known as the New Hampshire Turnpike (I-95) | |
 Everett Turnpike
|
39.867 | 64.160 |  US 3 at Tyngsborough, MA |
  I-93 / NH 9 in Concord
|
c. 1955 | current | also known as the Central Turnpike or Central New Hampshire Turnpike | |
 Spaulding Turnpike
|
33.2 | 53.4 |    I-95 / US 1 Byp. / US 4 / NH 16 in Portsmouth |
 NH 16 / NH 125 in Milton
|
c. 1956 | current | overlapped by New Hampshire Route 16 | |
The Blue Star and Spaulding Turnpikes are also known collectively as the Eastern Turnpike.
See also
edit
- New Hampshire Highway System
- New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 8: Site of Piscataqua Bridge (start of First New Hampshire Turnpike)
- New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 68: Toll House and Toll Gate (part of Third New Hampshire Turnpike)
- New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 160: Haverhill Corner Historic District (northern terminus of Coos Turnpike)
- New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 181: First New Hampshire Turnpike
- New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 228: Cork Plain Bridge – Second NH Turnpike
- New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 250: Pembroke Street (extension of Chester Turnpike)
- New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 252: Bungtown (along Grafton Turnpike)
- New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 253: Londonderry Turnpike
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Brown, Janice (August 23, 2006). "New Hampshire's Turnpike History". cowhampshireblog.com. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ Brindley, Michael (January 2, 2014). "Marking History: First New Hampshire Turnpike In Northwood". nhpr.org. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ Holman, Katrina (January 11, 2011). "The Second New Hampshire Turnpike in Amherst and Mont Vernon – Part One" (PDF). The Amherst Citizen. Amherst, New Hampshire. p. 8. Retrieved December 2, 2020 – via amherstcitizen.com.
- ^ Bureau of Planning & Community Assistance (February 20, 2015). "NH Public Roads". Concord: New Hampshire Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 7, 2015.