Under the 1986 reorganization plan, five divisions were created within the department: • Project Development: Plans and designs transportation projects and oversees their construction • Operations: NHDOT's largest Division is responsible for the maintenance of state highways and bridges, and the maintenance and operation of the State's turnpike system • Administration: Responsible for support activities in the Department, including accounting, auditing, purchasing, budgeting, contracts, information technology and the print shop • Division of Aeronautics, Rail and Transit: Works with Federal, state and local agencies to preserve and promote various modes of transportation outside of the mode of automobile/truck and highways
New Hampshire Rail Transit Authority The
New Hampshire Rail Transit Authority (NHRTA) was a short lived administrative agency attached to the NHDOT which was created in 2007 to oversee the development of
commuter rail and other
passenger rail service in
New Hampshire. The initial focus of the NHRTA was to provide oversight for the proposed Capitol Corridor
intercity rail project (not to be confused with
Amtrak's Capitol Corridor service in
California), which would have connected
Concord, New Hampshire, with
Boston, Massachusetts, via
Manchester and
Nashua and the existing
MBTA Commuter Rail Lowell Line, and also include a stop at
Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. Additional current projects of the NHRTA include the possible extension of the
Haverhill MBTA Commuter Rail line to
Plaistow, New Hampshire along the Coastal Corridor. Possible longer term projects include assessing the need and desire for passenger rail service elsewhere in the state, and updating the state Rail Plan with a vision for restored and improved passenger and freight rail service throughout New Hampshire and connecting to neighboring states. In April 2015, the Plaistow Board of Selectmen voted for the "no build" option to not extend commuter rail; this decision would preclude all future passenger rail extensions to the town. The agency would prove to be extraneous; by 2010, constant political opposition and funding issues would hamper all NHRTA rail projects. By 2019 the group had ceased to meet, and their website URL had lapsed. By 2022, development on the Capitol Corridor project has largely stalled. Since then, the NHDOT Division of Aeronautics, Rail and Transit has overseen all rail projects within the state.
2011 legislative repeal attempt Following the 2010 election, some members of the
New Hampshire General Court (the state legislature) began efforts to repeal the NHRTA. The new Republican majority in the
House passed HB 218, an act to repeal the NHRTA, by a vote of 190-119 in March 2011. Following a promised veto by Governor
John Lynch, a
Democrat, and a committee recommendation to kill the bill, the
Senate passed an amended version of HB 218 in May 2011. The amended bill would maintain the NHRTA, but drastically reduce its responsibilities and powers. Following a House vote to concur with the bill as amended by the Senate, Gov. Lynch vetoed HB 218 on June 15, 2011, citing support for the project from community and business leaders and the economic development that the project would generate. After the all-Republican
Executive Council voted 3-2 against the rail feasibility study in 2012, the newly Democratic-led Council voted 4-1 to go forward with a $3.9 million New Hampshire Capitol Corridor Rail and Transit Alternatives Analysis on February 6, 2013. The Granite State Poll , conducted by the UNH Survey Center from January 27-February 6, 2011, showed overwhelming support for the Capital Corridor project generally, and strong support from all areas of the state and across all political parties and ideologies. There is also strong support for the project among the business community in Nashua and Manchester, including the respective chambers of commerce and New Hampshire Businesses for Transportation and Infrastructure . Local elected officials of both parties have also expressed support for the project, including supportive resolutions by the town councils of
Bedford and
Merrimack, both largely
Republican communities, and the Nashua Board of Aldermen. At a public forum on March 5, 2014, the NHRTA presented preliminary results of the Capitol Corridor Rail and Transit Alternatives Analysis. Included in the presentation was the projection of up to 3,100 daily riders on the Capitol Corridor commuter or intercity rail line, which would mean that the line could top 800,000 passengers annually, compared to 560,000 on
Amtrak's popular
Downeaster. URS Corporation, the consultant conducting the study, predicted significantly lower ridership for an enhance bus-on-shoulder service, at 1,200 passengers daily. Costs for the bus service would be lower than for rail, but there would be substantially less economic development, according to the preliminary results. Annual operating costs for the rail option on the Capitol Corridor would be in the range of $8–10 million. Rail service was projected to begin as early as 2020. ==Regional planning==