Town Council to Discuss Suing State Over Tolls

Among the items on the Merrimack Town Council agenda for this Thursday evening is a discussion surrounding the possibility of Merrimack filing a lawsuit against the state regarding the tollbooth situation in Merrimack.

According to an article in Tuesday's Union Leader, Town Councilor Dan Dwyer, who made the request for this agenda item, the town is fed up with the state legislature's regular pushing aside of the bills aimed at removing the tolls that sit on Merrimack's turnpike on and off ramps at exits 10, 11, and 12.

Dwyer said the town has tried to work with legislators, but they are tired of waiting and it's time to fight. Dwyer said he thinks it is time to expose how the highway department funds the turnpike system, maintaining that the revenue brought in from the tolls is used to fund other improvement projects rather than pay off the bond that originated in the 1980s.

Last month, as was expected, the House Public Works and Highways Committee unanimously voted to kill legislation that would have closed any of the ramp tolls in Merrimack. Committee Chairman David Campbell, D-Nashua, told Patch in May that it would be more appropriate to address the tolls in the 10-year highway plan discussions coming up in the 2014 legislative session. He also said he still favors a commuter discount for people who travel through the tolls frequently.

Patch will be at Thursday's meeting and will provide more on this conversation following that meeting.