Interstate 293
I-293 highlighted in red | ||||
Route information | ||||
Auxiliary route ofI-93 | ||||
Maintained byNHDOT | ||||
Length | 11.18 mi[1](17.99 km) | |||
NHS | Entire route | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | ![]() ![]() | |||
North end | ![]() ![]() | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | New Hampshire | |||
Counties | Hillsborough,Merrimack | |||
Highway system | ||||
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Interstate 293(I-293) is an 11-mile-long (18 km)auxiliary Interstate HighwaysurroundingManchester, New Hampshire,roughly shaped like two sides of atriangle.Completing the loop in the northeast (the third side of the triangle) isI-93.The southern portion of the loop shares the road withNew Hampshire Route 101(NH 101) and passes nearManchester–Boston Regional AirportandThe Mall of New Hampshire.The western portion of the loop shares the road with theEverett Turnpike,but there are no tolls on this portion of the turnpike.
Route description
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/I-293_at_I-93_Manchester.jpg/300px-I-293_at_I-93_Manchester.jpg)
I-293 begins at adirectional T interchangein the southeast of Manchester, whereNH 101west leavesI-93.[2]I-293 is signed as a north–south road, but, along the sectionconcurrentwith NH 101, the road travels in an entirely westerly direction. Exits 1 and 2 provide access toThe Mall of New Hampshirearea andManchester–Boston Regional Airportrespectively. After crossing theMerrimack River,I-293 enters the modifiedcloverleafexit 3 interchange where I-293, NH 101, and theEverett Turnpikeintersect. At exit 3, NH 101 leaves I-293 and continues west as a four-lane freeway to its junction withNH 114.I-293 makes a nearly 90-degree turn here, joining the Everett Turnpike and traveling north along the west bank of theMerrimack River.The I-293/Everett Turnpike concurrency heads in to downtown Manchester and is joined byNH 3Aat exit 4. Exits 5 and 6 intersect local roads near bridges across the Merrimack River, allowing travelers access to both east and west sides of Manchester. At exit 7, NH 3A leaves the concurrency, while I-293 and the turnpike continue north to the end of I-293 at another interchange with I-93, just south of theHooksettbarriertoll plaza.[3]From here, I-93 and the Everett Turnpike are concurrent to the turnpike's northern end inConcord.
As of June 16, 2008, the project to complete exit 5 as a full interchange was complete. Drivers are now able to exit and enter exit 5 both southbound and northbound. This exit is asingle-point urban interchange,the third in New Hampshire.
LikeI-393,the other auxiliary Interstate Highway in New Hampshire, I-293 is signed in concurrency with other routes along its entire length and never runs alone other than on transition ramps between NH 101 and the Everett Turnpike. This is due to the I-293 designation having been added to already existing routes, NH 101, and the Everett Turnpike.
History
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Manchester%2C_New_Hampshire_1955_Yellow_Book.jpg/200px-Manchester%2C_New_Hampshire_1955_Yellow_Book.jpg)
I-293 overlays portions of two earlier routes that were upgraded to provide the route an Interstate designation. NH 101 was the main east–west route across southern New Hampshire, connectingKeenewith (at the time)Portsmouth,and passed through southern Manchester. TheEverett Turnpikewas an early toll highway connecting the three cities of theMerrimack Valley:Nashua,Manchester, and Concord. When it was accepted into the Interstate Highway System, the short NH 101 freeway from I-93 to the Everett Turnpike was numbered I-193 from 1961 to 1977. When I-93 was completed in 1977, the Everett Turnpike from NH 101 to I-93 was added to the route and it was renumbered as I-293. The NH 101 to Everett Turnpike interchange was later rebuilt to provide a free-flowing transition between the two legs.[4][5]
Exit list
[edit]County | Location[6][7] | mi[6][7] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hillsborough | Manchester | 0.000 | 0.000 | – | ![]() ![]() ![]() | Southern terminus; southern end of NH 101 concurrency |
1.291 | 2.078 | 1 | ![]() | Mall of New Hampshire | ||
2.742 | 4.413 | 2 | ![]() | Formerly signed for access toManchester–Boston Regional Airportand town ofLitchfield | ||
Bedford | 3.291 | 5.296 | 3 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Northern end of NH 101 concurrency; southern end of Everett Tpke. concurrency; exit number not signed | |
Manchester | 4.892 | 7.873 | 4 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Southern end of NH 3A concurrency | |
5.947 | 9.571 | 5 | Granite Street –West Manchester | |||
7.431 | 11.959 | 6 | Amoskeag Street / Goffstown Road | |||
8.430 | 13.567 | 7 | ![]() ![]() | Northern end of NH 3A concurrency; northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
Merrimack | Hooksett | 11.771 | 18.944 | – | ![]() ![]() | Northbound exit and southbound entrance |
– | ![]() ![]() | Northern terminus; northern end of Everett Turnpike concurrency | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
[edit]- ^Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022)."Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways".FHWA Route Log and Finder List.Federal Highway Administration.RetrievedDecember 13,2022.
- ^"Interstate 293"(Map).Google Maps.Google. June 8, 2009.RetrievedJune 8,2009.
- ^"Interstate 293"(Map).Google Maps.Google. June 8, 2009.RetrievedJune 8,2009.
- ^"New Hampshire Road Map ca.1960s".Hosted at: New Hampshire History.New Hampshire Department of Public Works and Highways.RetrievedDecember 17,2020.
- ^"Interstate 293 New Hampshire".Interstate Guide.RetrievedDecember 17,2020.
- ^abBureau of Planning & Community Assistance (February 20, 2015)."NH Public Roads".Concord, New Hampshire:New Hampshire Department of Transportation.RetrievedApril 7,2015.
- ^abBureau of Planning & Community Assistance (April 3, 2015)."Nodal Reference 2015, State of New Hampshire".New Hampshire Department of Transportation.RetrievedApril 7,2015.[permanent dead link]