Proposed I-93 toll in N.H. angers some in Mass.

SALEM, N.H. -- It may soon cost drivers to enter New Hampshire on I-93.

The governor of New Hampshire is calling for a new toll on the southbound side of I-93 just over the state line.

New Hampshire's Department of Transportation said the stretch of interstate from the Massachusetts border to Manchester, N.H. -- one of the busiest highways in the country -- is in need of repairs and upgrades.

“We have a $250 million problem in terms of finishing up a project along the I-93 quarter. We have a serious safety issue there where we have a 106,000 vehicles a day on a highway built for 60,000,” said Bill Boynton of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation.

The plan is to widen a 20-mile stretch from the Massachusetts border to the I-95 split.

The governor of Massachusetts expressed concern over the New Hampshire proposal.

“It’s a problem for the movement of people and goods between the states,” said Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick.

According to the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, more than 43 percent of the cars that pass through the border -- nearly 46,000 --  are from Massachusetts.

Lawmakers say a new toll would not cause traffic backups because there would be no physical structure; all tolls would be handled electronically.

However, some drivers said they worried that toll avoiders would jam highways.

“It is going to get the traffic more crowded than it already is,” Louis Terrero said.

The proposed toll would be $1.15 each direction, raising about $44 million each year.

The plan needs federal approval, as well as endorsements from the state legislature and the governor.

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