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Senate committee hears proposal to raise tolls for out‑of‑state and cash users to fund turnpike projects
Summary
Sen. David Waters told the Senate Transportation Committee SB 627 would raise tolls on drivers not on funded New Hampshire E‑ZPass accounts to generate revenue for the 2027–2036 10‑year transportation plan; DOT and industry witnesses testified the change could free capital for long‑delayed projects but raised concerns about automatic indexing and legislative control of rates.
Sen. David Waters introduced Senate Bill 627 to the Senate Transportation Committee, saying the bill would increase toll rates for cash users and vehicles not registered to a funded New Hampshire E‑ZPass account to help fund projects in the 2027–2036 10‑year transportation plan.
Waters said the change is designed to hold New Hampshire drivers harmless while asking out‑of‑state drivers and cash users to pay more. He described a replace‑all amendment (0012s) that sets a new toll schedule by plaza and vehicle class, preserves a differential discount for funded New Hampshire E‑ZPass accounts, and includes an indexing mechanism that could trigger 25¢ increases when DOT’s construction‑cost inflation index reaches a threshold.
David Rodrigue, assistant commissioner and chief engineer for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, told the committee the amendment would raise rates for non‑funded E‑ZPass users and cash payers while maintaining current discounted rates for funded New Hampshire E‑ZPass accounts, including heavy trucks. Rodrigue said New Hampshire’s non‑E‑ZPass rates are among the lowest within E‑ZPass agencies and that the turnpike system’s reduced transaction volume since 2019, coupled with rising costs, has squeezed the pool of toll credits used to match federal funds.
Industry witnesses — including paving contractor Amy Charbonneau, contractor Ryan Audley and the Associated General Contractors’ Alex Katrubis — urged action, saying years of deferred work and construction‑cost inflation mean funding is needed now to avoid higher future costs and lost jobs. Jim Jalbert of C & J Bus Lines and other public witnesses urged the committee to back measures that restore consistent capital funding and preserve safety projects.
Opponents or cautious stakeholders focused on the bill’s automatic indexing. Bob Scully of the New Hampshire Motor Transport Association asked the committee to remove the DOT indexing provision so rate changes would remain subject to legislative review rather than automatic departmental adjustments.
Committee members asked how projects would be chosen if toll revenue rose; Waters and DOT witnesses said project priorities remain set through the statutory 10‑year plan and the legislative amendment process. Waters and several speakers noted a working estimate (cited in testimony) that the provision could generate on the order of $60 million per year, which the senator and witnesses described as an estimate to be refined by DOT analysis.
The committee closed the public hearing on SB 627 after taking testimony and moved on to additional bills on the agenda. No committee vote on SB 627 was recorded at the hearing.
