CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – An environmental law firm says the state Department of Transportation didn’t seriously examine the alternatives before it began planning to widen Interstate 93.
The Conservation Law Foundation is asking a federal judge to stall the project until the state takes a serious look at the environmental impact. It also wants the department to study whether a commuter train is a better alternative.
The department wants to widen the interstate from two to four lanes between Manchester and the Massachusetts border to ease traffic and make the road safer.
Lawyers for the state say a study found a commuter rail line wouldn’t help much with traffic jams.
But at a hearing in U.S. District Court on Friday, the Conservation Law Foundation argued that widening the highway will not cut traffic jams either, because studies estimate the project would draw 35,000 new residents to the towns on the I-93 corridor.
U.S. District Judge Paul Barbadoro said he would rule later.
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