Transportation (Transportation Funding)

This bill allows New Hampshire municipalities to create special assessment districts to fund infrastructure improvements - such as roads, utilities, sidewalks, and storm water systems - that directly serve new development. Property owners within these districts would pay special assessments based on their proportionate benefit (e.g., lot size or frontage), not equally, and payments would be collected over up to 20 years as a property lien. The law requires public hearings before district creation and excludes schools, government buildings, and general facilities from these assessments. It applies specifically to infrastructure tied to new development, not existing neighborhoods.

HB 1680 directs New Hampshire's Department of Transportation to improve Boston express bus service from Nashua, Manchester, and Londonderry. It requires increasing service frequency during peak commuting hours and late nights on Fridays/Saturdays, advocating for consistent federal/state funding, and allocating existing federal funds to expand this service. The bill mandates a report on service frequency, ridership, and impacts on workforce mobility and regional economic development, due November 1. Crucially, the bill does not provide new state funding but directs the use of existing transportation program resources.

SB 458 removes the current restriction that limits toll credits to the Nashua-Manchester-Concord project, allowing any municipal, county, or non-profit transportation project to use toll credits. The bill requires toll credits to be available at a minimum 50% discount (meaning entities pay no more than half the face value) to meet federal matching requirements for eligible highway projects. It also eliminates the need for state department or legislative approval when using toll credits for these projects, streamlining access to federal transportation funding.