Village Profile Home Page | About our Company | Sales Opportunities | Community eStore | vpmobile.us

Rochester Location and Transportation

New Hampshire has been a leader in transportation since 1761. From that time, many transportation milestones saw their birth in New Hampshire. In 1785, the Connecticut River was bridged with what was thought at the time as “the bridge to exceed any bridge ever built in America in strength, elegance and public utility.” The bridge offered a passageway from Boston through New Hampshire to Vermont and on to Canada.

Today, Rochester and other communities in Strafford County enjoy the benefits of major transportation systems. The greater Rochester area offers easy access by air, water, rail and road. The Spaulding Turnpike (Route 16) — which runs from Portsmouth and heads north through Rochester — intersects with Interstate 95, a super highway that runs from Maine’s Canadian border to the tip of Florida. These highway systems provide easy access to and from the area for the transportation of products and goods, and offer easy routes to the lakes and mountain regions of New Hampshire. Route 202 provides a direct westerly route to Concord and an easterly route to Portland, Maine. Also running from Rochester, Route 125 connects with Route 101, offering connections to Manchester.

Easy access to rail service provides an alternative means for manufacturers to transport their products and raw materials. Also, a north-south commuter train connecting Portland to Boston runs through Dover daily.

The rivers and ocean have played an important role in the growth of Rochester and surrounding communities, acting as a resource for both food and commerce. The rivers and deep water Port of New Hampshire (located in Portsmouth, just 20 miles from Rochester) are instrumental in the region’s growth. Barges and container ships arrive daily, transporting imports and exports to and from area manufacturers. Plans are currently underway to dredge the Cocheco River, which runs from the Atlantic Ocean to Rochester. This vibrant river was once heavily used for commercial transportation until a major flood filled in some of the river with sediment and debris. The dredging of this river will allow deep river traffic to flow from Portsmouth to Dover’s historic waterfront.

Rochester is also easily accessible by air. Pease International Tradeport, a former air base located in Newington, is within 20 miles of Rochester. By attracting numerous companies, the Tradeport has become a true success story. Pease International Airport, which is located at the Tradeport, features the fourth largest runway in the country, provides fixed base operator service, corporate aircraft hangers, and is the maintenance headquarters and hub for Pan Am Airways. Current projected traffic is one-half million passengers, and plans to expand the terminal to handle expected growth in traffic are in progess. The airport also offers daily passenger flights to several destinations and hosts cargo operations and New Hampshire Air National Guard.

Skyhaven Airport provides full service maintenance, training, pilot supplies and scenic flights. This General Aviation airport, which abuts Rochester’s growing Granite State Industrial Park, has a 4,000-foot runway with a visual slope indicator.

Bus service provides daily interstate service from the region to points all over New England. C & J Trailways, with a hub at Pease, is used to shuttle commuters from stops in Dover, Durham and Portsmouth to points south in Boston — including Logan International Airport, South Station and downtown. Greyhound and Vermont Transit Lines offer daily stops in nearby Portsmouth.

COAST (Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation) is the public, non-profit system that provides mass public transportation in Strafford and Rockingham counties. COAST connects Rochester with surrounding communities and the Seacoast. Schedules for bus lines are available at the Chamber of Commerce.

Limousine service provides transportation options in the city, and car rental agencies offer alternative options. Transportation services are also available for handicapped individuals.

TRANSPORTATION RESOURCES
Amtrak (800) 872-7245
C & J Trailways (603) 742-5111
COAST (603) 743-5777
Enterprise Rent-a-Car (603) 332-5667
Feliciano Limousine LLC (603) 332-3641
New Hampshire State
Port Authority (603) 436-8500
Manchester International Airport (603) 624-6539
Pan Am (603) 766-2100
Pease International Tradeport (603) 433-6088
Skyhaven Airport (603) 332-0005