Interstate 89

Interstate 89 travels 60.87 miles northwest from Interstate 93 outside Concord to the Connecticut River at White River Junction, Vermont. The scenic freeway winds through a series of hills by Mount Kearsarge, Sunapee Lake and Croydon and Shaker Mountains to Lebanon ahead of the state line.

Interstate 89 New Hampshire Guides

North - Concord to Sunapee - 59 photos

North - Sunapee to Vermont - 46 photos

South - Vermont to Sunapee - 47 photos

South - Sunapee to Concord - 60 photos

The first section of Interstate 89 in New Hampshire to open was the section between Warner and New London in November 1967. The freeway was completed in the Granite State in 1968.¹

U.S. 4 between Exits 17 and 19 through Lebanon previously overlapped with Business Loop I-89. The last shield for the route was posted along U.S. 4 (Mechanic Street) east of Exit 19 until 2004. July 2000

A $20.3 million project upgraded the diamond interchange (Exit 20) between Interstate 89 and NH 12A (Plainfield Road) over a three year period ending in December 2012. Work included adding an underpass linking two shopping centers west of NH 12A, replacing the I-89 bridges over Plainfield Road and expanding the state route to seven overall lanes.²

Work rebuilding the bridges taking Interstate 89 between Lebanon, New Hampshire and White River Junction, Vermont commenced on September 15, 2020. The 840 foot long twin bridges were constructed in 1966. The $43.8 million project removes the existing bridge deck and superstructure and replaces them with one continuous deck supporting auxiliary lanes in both directions. Work runs through September 2025.³

scenes

NH 12A (Plainfield Road) meets I-89 in a commercialized area of West Lebanon. The arterial route also serves Lebanon Municipal Airport (LEB) to the east.
Construction between 2009 and 2012 replaced both bridges for the freeway over Plainfield Road while expanding NH 12A to seven lanes within the immediate vicinity of Exit 20.

07/30/07

This guide sign posted at the on-ramp for I-89 was replaced to reflect the final mile of NH 12A (Main Street) north to U.S. 4 in Hanover.

07/30/07

An older guide sign (replaced by 2013) directed motorists from NH 12A (Plainfield Road) south onto Interstate 89 north into White River Junction, Vermont.

07/30/07

These mast-arm signals and guide signs posted at NH 12A and I-89 were also replaced during 2009-12 construction to improve the diamond interchange between the two routes.

07/30/07

NH Route 120 south at the diamond interchange with I-89/NH 10 in Lebanon. The two routes overlap east to Exit 13 at Grantham and west to the succeeding exit.

07/24/00

References:

1. "100th Anniversary Series Part III - The Interstate Highway System." http://www.nhgoodroads.org/UploadedFiles/ Files/InterstateHihgwaySystem.pdf New Hampshire Highways, May / June 2004 edition.
2. "The $20 Million Solution - Route 12A Project Eases Traffic Flow for Holiday Shopping." Valley News, December 24, 2012.
3. "Rebuild to start on I-89 bridges, but drivers likely won’t even notice at first." Valley News (West Lebanon, NH), September 16, 2020.

Connect with:

Interstate 93

U.S. 4

Route 9

Page Updated Thursday March 16, 2023.