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Interstate 293

Route map:
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Interstate 293 marker
Interstate 293
Map
I-293 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-93
Maintained by NHDOT
Length11.18 mi[1] (17.99 km)
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
South end I-93 / NH 101 in Manchester
Major intersections
North end I-93 / Everett Turnpike in Hooksett
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNew Hampshire
CountiesHillsborough, Merrimack
Highway system
NH 286 US 302
NH 175A US 202

Interstate 293 (I-293) is an 11-mile-long (18 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway surrounding Manchester, New Hampshire, roughly shaped like two sides of a triangle. Completing the loop in the northeast (the third side of the triangle) is I-93. The southern portion of the loop shares the road with New Hampshire Route 101 (NH 101) and passes near Manchester–Boston Regional Airport and The Mall of New Hampshire. The western portion of the loop shares the road with the Everett Turnpike, but there are no tolls on this portion of the turnpike.

Route description

View from I-93 northbound approaching the southern terminus of I-293

I-293 begins at a directional T interchange in the southeast of Manchester, where NH 101 west leaves I-93.[2] I-293 is signed as a north–south road, but, along the section concurrent with NH 101, the road travels in an entirely westerly direction. Exits 1 and 2 provide access to The Mall of New Hampshire area and Manchester–Boston Regional Airport respectively. After crossing the Merrimack River, I-293 enters the modified cloverleaf exit 3 interchange where I-293, NH 101, and the Everett Turnpike intersect. At exit 3, NH 101 leaves I-293 and continues west as a four-lane freeway to its junction with NH 114. I-293 makes a nearly 90-degree turn here, joining the Everett Turnpike and traveling north along the west bank of the Merrimack River. The I-293/Everett Turnpike concurrency heads in to downtown Manchester and is joined by NH 3A at 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 the Hooksett barrier toll plaza.[3] From here, I-93 and the Everett Turnpike are concurrent to the turnpike's northern end in Concord.

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 a single-point urban interchange, the third in New Hampshire.

Like I-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

This image shows I-93's proposed route through Manchester. Most of this route would later become I-293.

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, connecting Keene with (at the time) Portsmouth, and passed through southern Manchester. The Everett Turnpike was an early toll highway connecting the three cities of the Merrimack 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 1961–1977. 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

CountyLocation[6][7]mi[6][7]kmExitDestinationsNotes
HillsboroughManchester0.0000.000

I-93 north / NH 101 east – Concord, Portsmouth

I-93 south – Salem, Boston
Southern end of concurrency with NH 101
1.2912.0781 NH 28 (South Willow Street)Mall of New Hampshire
2.7424.4132 NH 3A (Brown Avenue)Formerly signed for access to the Manchester–Boston Regional Airport and the town of Litchfield. Traffic is now directed to Exit 3 and Everett Turnpike southbound.
Bedford3.2915.2963


NH 101 west to US 3 / NH 114 – Bedford, Milford, Goffstown

Everett Turnpike south – Merrimack, Nashua, Manchester Airport
Northern end of concurrency with NH 101; Southern end of concurrency with Everett Turnpike; exit number not signed
Manchester4.8927.8734


US 3 (Queen City Avenue /Second Street) to NH 3A south / NH 114A
Southern end of concurrency with NH 3A
5.9479.5715Granite Street – West Manchester
7.43111.9596Amoskeag Street / Goffstown Road
8.43013.5677
NH 3A north (Front Street) – Hooksett
Northern end of concurrency with NH 3A; northbound exit and southbound entrance
MerrimackHooksett11.77118.944
I-93 south – Salem

I-93 / Everett Turnpike north – Concord
Northern end of concurrency with Everett Turnpike
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

KML is from Wikidata
  1. ^ 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. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  2. ^ "Interstate 293" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
  3. ^ "Interstate 293" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
  4. ^ "New Hampshire Road Map ca.1960s". Hosted at: New Hampshire History. New Hampshire Department of Public Works and Highways. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  5. ^ "Interstate 293 New Hampshire". Interstate Guide. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Bureau of Planning & Community Assistance (February 20, 2015). "NH Public Roads". Concord, New Hampshire: New Hampshire Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  7. ^ a b Bureau of Planning & Community Assistance (April 3, 2015). "Nodal Reference 2015, State of New Hampshire". New Hampshire Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 7, 2015.[permanent dead link]