Editing Concord, New Hampshire (section)

==Transportation==
===Highways===
[[Interstate 89]] and [[Interstate 93]] are the two main interstate highways serving Concord, and join just south of the city limits. Interstate 89 links Concord with [[Lebanon, New Hampshire|Lebanon]] and the state of [[Vermont]] to the northwest, while Interstate 93 connects the city to [[Plymouth, New Hampshire|Plymouth]], [[Littleton, New Hampshire|Littleton]], and the [[White Mountains (New Hampshire)|White Mountains]] to the north and [[Manchester, New Hampshire|Manchester]] and [[Boston]] to the south. [[Interstate 393]] is a spur highway leading east from Concord and merging with [[U.S. Route 4 in New Hampshire|U.S. Route 4]] as a direct route to New Hampshire's [[Seacoast Region (New Hampshire)|Seacoast region]]. North-south [[U.S. Route 3#New Hampshire|U.S. Route 3]] serves as Concord's Main Street, while [[U.S. Route 202#New Hampshire|U.S. Route 202]] and [[New Hampshire Route 9]] cross the city from east to west. State routes [[New Hampshire Route 13|13]] and [[New Hampshire Route 132|132]] also serve the city: Route 13 leads southwest out of Concord towards [[Goffstown, New Hampshire|Goffstown]] and [[Milford, New Hampshire|Milford]], while Route 132 travels north parallel to Interstate 93. [[New Hampshire Route 106]] passes through the easternmost part of Concord, crossing I-393 and NH 9 before crossing the [[Soucook River]] south into the town of [[Pembroke, New Hampshire|Pembroke]]. To the north, NH 106 leads to [[Loudon, New Hampshire|Loudon]], [[Belmont, New Hampshire|Belmont]] and [[Laconia, New Hampshire|Laconia]].

=== Railroads ===
Historically, Concord served as an important railroad terminal and station for the [[Boston and Maine Railroad]]. The former Concord Station was located at what is now a [[Burlington (department store)|Burlington]] department store on Storrs Street. The station itself was built in 1860, but the fourth and most famous iteration of the station was built in 1885, which had a brick head house designed by [[Bradford Gilbert|Bradford L. Gilbert]]. The head house was demolished in 1959 and replaced by a smaller "McGinnis Era" station. By 1967, all passenger rail services to Concord had been discontinued.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Concord Station - Concord, New Hampshire |url=http://www.nashuacitystation.org/station/new-hampshire/merrimack/concord/concord/ |access-date=2022-11-16 |website=www.nashuacitystation.org |language=en}}</ref> For 13 months in 1980 and 1981, [[MBTA Commuter Rail]] ran two round trips a day between Boston and Concord. Since then, there has not been any passenger rail service to Concord.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |date=2008-08-01 |title=N.H. commuter rail: a success in 1980 |url=https://www.nhbr.com/n-h-commuter-rail-a-success-in-1980/ |access-date=2022-11-16 |website=NH Business Review |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2021, Amtrak announced their plan to implement new service between Boston and Concord by 2035.<ref>{{cite web |date=April 2, 2021 |title=Vision |url=https://www.amtrakconnectsus.com/vision/ |accessdate=April 15, 2021 |website=Amtrak Connects Us |archive-date=April 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415160305/https://www.amtrakconnectsus.com/vision/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Bus===
Local bus service is provided by [[Concord Area Transit]] (CAT), with three routes through the city.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://concordareatransit.com/route-information/ |title=Concord Area Transit: Route Information |access-date=February 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202101054/http://concordareatransit.com/route-information/ |archive-date=February 2, 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Regional bus service provided by [[Concord Coach Lines]] and [[Greyhound Lines]] is available from the Concord Transportation Center at 30 Stickney Avenue next to Exit 14 on Interstate 93, with service south to Boston and points in between, as well as north to [[Littleton, New Hampshire|Littleton]] and northeast to [[Berlin, New Hampshire|Berlin]].

===Other modes===
General aviation services are available through [[Concord Municipal Airport]], located {{convert|2|mi|0}} east of downtown. There is no commercial air service within the city limits; the nearest such airport is [[Manchester–Boston Regional Airport]], {{convert|23|mi}} to the south.

=== Complete Streets Improvement Project ===
Concord's downtown underwent a significant renovation between 2015 and 2016, during the city's "Complete Streets Improvement Project". At a proposed cost of $12 million, the project promised to deliver on categories of maintenance to aging [[infrastructure]], improved [[Accessibility (transport)|accessibility]], increased [[Sustainable urbanism|sustainability]], a safer experience for walkers, bikers and motorists alike, and to stimulate [[economic growth]] in an increasingly idle downtown.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Concord Streetscape|url=https://www.ibigroup.com/ibi-projects/concord-streetscape/|access-date=2020-11-19|website=IBI Group|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Concord Downtown Complete Streets Improvement Project: Benefit/Cost Analysis|url=https://www.concordnh.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1782/Summary---Main-Street?bidId=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906080539/https://www.concordnh.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1782/Summary---Main-Street?bidId=|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 6, 2023|website=City of Concord New Hampshire}}</ref> The main infrastructural change was reducing the four-lane street (two in each direction) to two lanes plus a turning lane in the center. The freed-up space would contribute to extra width for bikes to ride in either direction, increased curb size and an added median where there is no need for a turning lane.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Concord Downtown Complete Streets Improvement Project: FY2012 TIGER Discretionary Grant Application|url=http://nh-concord.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/1772/Application-Narrative?bidId=|website=City of Concord New Hampshire|access-date=2020-11-19|archive-date=2020-11-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127161912/http://nh-concord.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/1772/Application-Narrative?bidId=|url-status=dead}}</ref> Concord opted to add [[shared lane marking]]s for bikes, rather than a dedicated [[protected bike lane]].

By adding curb space, this project created new opportunities for pedestrians to enjoy the downtown. Many power lines were buried, and [[street trees]], colorful benches, art installations, and other [[Urban green space|green spaces]] were added, all allowing people to reclaim a space long dominated by cars.<ref name=":1" /> Main Street underwent serious [[traffic calming]], including a [[road diet]], increased diagonal parking, widening sidewalks, adding shared lane markings, adding trees, texturing medians and coloring crosswalks red.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Traffic Calming 101|url=https://www.pps.org/article/livememtraffic|access-date=2020-11-19|website=www.pps.org}}</ref> Another aspect of the new construction was adding heated sidewalk capabilities, utilizing excess steam from the local Concord Steam plant, and minimizing sand and snow blowing needed during the winter months.<ref name=":1" />

Funding for Complete Streets came from a combination of $4,710,000 from a [[Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery|USDOT TIGER grant]] and the rest from the City of Concord.<ref name=":1" /> The project was initially proposed as costing $7,850,000, but ran over budget due to overambitious ideas.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-06-27|title=Concord Main Street Project: Scaled Back, Still Over Budget|url=https://patch.com/new-hampshire/concord-nh/concord-main-street-project-scaled-back-still-over-budget|access-date=2020-11-19|website=Concord, NH Patch|language=en}}</ref> After scrapping some of the most expensive offenders, the budget ended up at $14.2 million, with the project actually coming in $1.1 million below that.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last=Reid|first=Nick|date=2017-02-19|title=Downtown: What's Concord doing with the Main Street Project surplus?|work=The Concord Monitor|url=https://www.concordmonitor.com/downtown-column-what-does-concord-nh-plan-to-do-with-the-Main-Street-Project-surplus-8123016|access-date=November 19, 2020|archive-date=September 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906082040/https://www.concordmonitor.com/downtown-column-what-does-concord-nh-plan-to-do-with-the-Main-Street-Project-surplus-8123016|url-status=dead}}</ref> Although adding final aesthetic touches with the extra money were debated, the city council ended up deciding to save for financially straining years ahead.<ref name=":2" /> The design was carried out by McFarland Johnson, IBI Group, and City of Concord Engineering.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Downtown Complete Street Design {{!}} Concord, NH|url=https://mjinc.com/mjweb/projects/17842_02|website=McFarland Johnson|access-date=2020-11-19|archive-date=2020-09-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929003127/https://www.mjinc.com/mjweb/projects/17842_02|url-status=dead}}</ref>