requiring mileage-based exit numbers on tier 1 highways.

HB 1785-FN - AS INTRODUCED

2026 SESSION
26-3157
06/08

HOUSE BILL
1785-FN

AN ACT
requiring mileage-based exit numbers on tier 1 highways.

SPONSORS: Rep. Horrigan, Straf. 10

COMMITTEE: Public Works and Highways

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ANALYSIS

This bill requires mileage-based exit numbers on tier I highways.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in
bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [
in brackets and struckthrough.
]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
26-3157
06/08

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

AN ACT
requiring mileage-based exit numbers on tier 1 highways.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 New Section; Mileage-Based Exit Numbers on Tier I Highways. Amend RSA 265 by inserting after section 22 the following new section:
265:22-a Mileage-Based Exit Numbers on Tier I Highways. All tier I highways in New Hampshire, excluding Interstate 393, shall have exit numbering that conforms to the United States Department of Transportation's exit numbering requirement enumerated in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, section 2E.31, published by the Federal Highway Administration and adopted by reference in 23 C.F.R. part 655.603. Exit numbers shall be determined based on the mileage contained in the department of transportation linear referencing system. The department shall have until the year 2038 to complete the replacement of existing exit numbering.

2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

LBA
26-3157
12/16/25

HB 1785-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED

AN ACT
requiring mileage-based exit numbers on tier 1 highways.

FISCAL IMPACT:

This bill is not expected to have an impact until FY 2031.

METHODOLOGY:
This bill requires that all Tier I highways, except I-393, have mile-based exit numbering that conforms with the Federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which is authorized through lawmaking as applicable to all roadways open to public travel. The bill states the Department of Transportation shall have until the year 2038 to complete the replacement of existing exit numbering. The Department assumes the state will use the same method as nearby states by putting overlay panels on existing signs to show the new exit numbers. The Department estimates implementation would occur sometime between FY 2031 and FY 2038 with the following estimated costs:

FY 2031 Preliminary Engineering = $132,500
FY 2033 Construction and Construction Engineering = $2,274,000

The Department states that highway improvement projects of this magnitude are typically funded using Federal funds through Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Changes to signage on the Turnpike System would need to be paid with Turnpike Funds available for Capital Improvement projects. On the non-Turnpike roads, use of Federal funds would be subject to approval in a future Ten-Year Plan and in competition with and potentially displacing other planned projects. Similarly with Turnpike Funds – prioritization of this project would compete with other needed Turnpike capital projects during a time when Turnpike projects are already being deferred to future years for lack of funding. Based upon proportion of work on Turnpikes versus Federal eligible locations, an estimated 35% of the cost would be Turnpikes with the balance Federal.

The following is a table of Tier 1 highways included in this estimate, along with the quantity of interchanges and quantity of exit ramps that would be addressed for each highway:

Highway Route
Interchanges
Exit Ramps (Turnpike)
Exit Ramps (Non-Turnpike)

Interstate 93
54
11
97

Interstate 89
22
0
40

Interstate 293
9
13
7

Interstate 95
8
15
0

FE Everett Turnpike
(I-93 and I-293 portions addressed above)
15
33
0

Spaulding Turnpike
16
33
0

NH Route 101
17
0
38

Raymond Wieczorek Drive
1
0
4

Totals
142
105
186

AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Transportation