HOOKSETT, N.H. – On Thursday morning, Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH) toured a bridge construction site on I-93 at Exit 9 in an effort to learn more about New Hampshire’s infrastructure needs.
Pappas spent about an hour at the bridge talking with R.S. Audley President and CEO Ryan Audley, whose company is overseeing the construction effort, as well as NHDOT officials.
The visit comes as stakeholders in Washington discuss a possible infrastructure package, with the Biden Administration seeking an amount near $2 trillion with the GOP seeking a figure near $800 billion.
Pappas said that passing an infrastructure passage and providing more federal assistance for states looking to rehabilitate roads and bridges would provide more rehabilitations such as this one near the border of Manchester and Hooksett.
“I wanted to get out and see an active highway project and this bridge rehabilitation project is an important project,” said Pappas. “As we look to pass an infrastructure package, these are the types of projects we’re looking to fund in the bill.”
Pappas said that the focus of any infrastructure bill should be rehabilitation and maintenance projects such as this one, but added that it’s important to have a dialogue regarding the nation’s infrastructure needs, something he sees within the discussions between the White House, the GOP and Congressional Democrats.
“I think people are putting their ideas on the table, which is important and all sides are getting closer,” he said. “Right now, it’s about the scope of the bill and then we can get into other topics such as how this will all be paid for, but I think we all agree that we need to go above and beyond what we’re doing today because we have a multi-billion dollar backlog of projects across the country and if we’re serious about getting the economy moving again we can help create jobs in construction, trades and other things like broadband and rehabilitating roads and bridges across the states.”
