Up a Notch

New Hampshire saves a view

It was a classic confrontation. Highway builders said the new roadway was absolutely essential to the state's development. Environmentalists countered that it would wreck one of New England's scenic landmarks. For 20 years the argument raged: Should Interstate Highway 93 be routed through New Hampshire's Franconia Notch State Park? Situated in the heart of the White Mountains, the Notch is one of nature's masterpieces, a wonderland of sharp cliffs, fast streams and crystalline lakes ringed by pine-covered mountains. It is also the site of a geological formation that has become a symbol of the Granite State: 40 feet of rock, perched far up a mountainside that has been sculpted by rain and wind into a craggy, natural Mount Rushmore-like profile known as the Old Man of the Mountains.

Now, under the prodding of New Hampshire Congressman James Cleveland, the two sides have settled on a compromise that should serve the state's economic interests while at the same time protecting one of its priceless treasures. Interstate 93, a major north-south route that stretches from the greater Boston area toward the Canadian border, will indeed cut through the Notch. But instead of the usual four lanes required by Washington--which picks up 90% of the tab if the highway meets federal specifications--regulations will be relaxed. To prevent the widening that would have meant filling in lakes and going into the side of the mountain, the three-mile section running through the Notch will be merely an upgraded version of the two-lane roadway that already bisects the park. That will make it one of only two places in the 38,000-mile interstate system where there are two, not four or more lanes, the other being a short stretch in Glenwood Canyon, Colo. In addition, park authorities will get $5 million in federal and state funds for major roadside landscaping, including the construction of new parking lots. That way motorists will be encouraged to park and gaze up at the Old Man instead of craning--and risking--their necks as they weave through the Notch.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.