Construction for toll-booth free Spaulding to close down 1 lane each way Monday

Pictured is what the Rochester tolls will look like sometime next year. (Courtesy photo)

ROCHESTER - The New Hampshire Department of Transportation will be closing one lane just north of the existing Rochester Toll Booths, in both the northbound and southbound barrels, for about two weeks starting on Monday. The closure is due to the construction of concrete roadway slabs and support equipment for the new All Electronic Toll system.

Weather permitting, the work will begin at 9 a.m. in the northbound Lane on Monday, and 9 a.m. in the southbound Lane on Tuesday. Motorists can expect moderate delays during commuting periods.

The work is part of the Dover-Rochester 29440 AET project. RS Audley of Bow is the prime contractor for the $23 million project, which is scheduled to be completed in June, 2024.

The project is part of a move that will cease cash toll collection along the Spaulding Turnpike.

The toll booths will be fully removed, and the area paved in the spring of 2023.
To avoid fees motorists are encouraged to create NH E-ZPass accounts. NH accountholders with a funded account receive a 30 percent discount for passenger cars on all NH toll roads.
A temporary E-ZPass Customer Service Center is located just off of Exit 16 in Rochester to help motorists sign up for NH E-ZPass accounts, accept payments if money is owed, and answer questions about using the NH E-ZPass system.
The office, located at the NHDOT maintenance shed is open Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Motorists can also use the website, https://www.ezpassnh.com/, call NH E-ZPass customer service at 1-877-643-9727, or visit a NH Walk-In Service Center in Concord, Nashua, or Portsmouth.
AET systems are safer for motorists because they allow everyone to maintain a consistent speed on the highway.
Once the toll booths are removed next spring motorists will be able to travel under toll-recording gantries at the highway speed limit.