The Spaulding Turnpike serves as a major New Hampshire North-South highway, linking the public to the Seacoast area and I-95 with Concord via US 4 as well as and with the state’s Lakes Region and White Mountains via NH 16. However, traffic volumes on the Turnpike in the Newington-Dover area steadily increased from approximately 30,000 vehicles per day in 1980 to almost 70,000 vehicles per day in 2001. That caused high levels of traffic congestion on the bridges and along the Turnpike near and within the interchange areas. The average daily traffic volume forecast is that traffic will increase to approximately 94,000 vehicles per day by 2025. Recognizing a need to address safety concerns and increased congestion, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation completed a $177.5 million project that improved the Turnpike from Exit 1 in the Town of Newington, across the Little Bay Bridges, to a point just south of the existing toll facility in the City of Dover. End result: greater safety, better connections that get people where they need to go faster and easier, and better air quality for the community.
America's Transportation Awards 