Hudson's Never-Built Highway Is Being Sold Off, and the State Sets the Pace
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
In 1995, the State of New Hampshire paid $114,794.52 for one unit of a two-unit condominium at 5A Mark Street in Hudson. It held the unit for about three decades for a highway that was never built. On July 29, 2026, the Governor and Executive Council approved selling it for $380,000.
That sale and the one next door are the first Hudson results of something bigger. NHDOT is unwinding the Nashua–Hudson Circumferential Highway corridor. That includes 30 state-owned parcels in Hudson, seven of them with homes, plus open land that a state engineer estimated, according to Hudson Times, at "several hundred" acres. These properties don't come to market the way a typical Hudson home does. NHDOT's January presentation laid out a sale process for occupied homes.
The corridor has been on maps for a long time. The highway was first proposed in the 1950s and 1960s. Public hearings were held in 1988 and 1993. In 1994 the EPA issued an "Intent to Veto" notice, and in 2008 the project came off the state's Ten Year Plan. Over those years the state kept buying land: 59 parcels across Hudson, Litchfield and Merrimack, with the improved parcels now up for sale bought between 1989 and 1999. Most of the unbuilt route runs through Hudson, starting at Route 3A and crossing Route 111.
At a Hudson Select Board meeting on January 13, 2026, NHDOT Special Projects Engineer Bill Oldenburg described the plan to dissolve the highway layout. Hudson Times reported that he said it "will officially end the project" and "hopefully relieve abutter concerns." NHDOT's presentation to the town called the formal dissolution a resolution still to be submitted to the Governor and Council. That step was listed after a public informational meeting, which NHDOT scheduled for March 26, 2026 at the Hudson Community Center.
For the occupied homes, NHDOT's January presentation laid out this order:
In Hudson, the first step was settled fast. On January 13 the Select Board voted 5-0 to decline interest in the improved lots. That covered 35, 37 and 39 Wason Road, the duplexes at 94 and 98 Wason Road, both units at 5 Mark Street, and 301 Webster Street. The Town Administrator's January 20 letter to NHDOT says the vote "serves to close the matter at this time." NH Housing also sent a letter of no interest on 5A Mark Street.
NHDOT's presentation says it told tenants in November 2025 that it planned to end all leases on May 31, 2026, and that tenants might be able to buy the homes they rent.
When a corridor home reaches the open market, its price starts from a rule. In its request to the state's Long Range Capital Planning and Utilization Committee, which the committee approved January 12, 2026, NHDOT said it would sell each parcel at fair market value "with a listing price of no less than current tax assessed values." Pre-qualified realtors submit comparative market analyses, and a pre-qualification committee sets the fair market value.
That floor sits below where Hudson homes actually sell. In its January presentation, NHDOT converted each assessed value to an "equalized" value using an equalization rate of 81.4. That means assessments were running at roughly 81 cents on the dollar of market value. An assessed-value floor is a starting point, and the first two sales landed well above it.
| 5 Mark Street unit | Tax assessed value | Approved sale price | Above assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5A | $332,900 | $380,000 | about 14% |
| 5B | $323,200 | $385,000 | about 19% |
Both sales were approved at the Governor and Council meeting of July 29, 2026. Each unit is a 1,292-square-foot condominium on a 1.837-acre parcel.
The rest of the Hudson homes on the state's list are assessed in a similar range:
The two Wason Road duplexes may interest investors looking at small multifamily.
The Mark Street paperwork shows how a state sale differs from a typical resale. The 5A unit went under a purchase and sale agreement on June 9, 2026. The Governor and Council approved the sale on July 29, about seven weeks later, and the closing comes after that vote. The agenda item NHDOT filed also sets these conditions:
Boundaries are another issue. At the spring public meeting, a resident asked whether surveyors would mark the parcel lines. Hudson Times reported that officials said the deeds were all recorded, but many parcels were never fully surveyed or marked because the project sat in limbo so long.
The undeveloped land is less straightforward. Hudson Times reported that Oldenburg told the meeting that full appraisals were at least a year away. He added that NHDOT would move faster on any parcel the town identified: "If you want a parcel, we will prioritize getting that work done."
Hudson's Conservation Commission took him up on it. At a March 19 workshop, it ranked the corridor land at Trigate Road, 121-R Wason Road and Bush Hill Road as conservation priorities, with Speare Road next if money allowed. The state's parcel table lists 121-R Wason Road at 75.36 acres and the Bush Hill Road parcel at 37.58 acres. In May the commission voted 5-0 to recommend that the Select Board pursue the purchase with a grant from the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program, known as LCHIP, for 121-R Wason, and town staff filed the application by June.
The state's schedule changed that plan. At the commission's September 17 meeting, Hudson Times reported, a town civil engineer said the state did not expect 121 Wason to be available this calendar year. The town withdrew its LCHIP application and plans to reapply next year. Commission Vice-Chair Ken Dickinson called the process a "slow moving boat." He said the state wants to deal with parcels involving residents before it turns to land meant for conservation.
That order explains the pace on Wason Road and Trigate Road. The homes come first. The large open parcels behind them are unlikely to change hands before 2027, and Hudson's conservation board has already said where it wants to keep land undeveloped.
Litchfield is going through the same process. Its exploratory committee is studying roughly 193 acres of state corridor land, weighing options from municipal purchase and conservation to taking no action. In June it discussed a possible Route 3A to Route 102 local road connection and called it exploratory.
Is the highway layout officially dissolved? NHDOT has described formal dissolution as a Governor and Council resolution that follows the town meetings and the public informational meeting. The state is already selling surplus homes. Anyone who needs to know whether the layout itself has been formally dissolved should check NHDOT directly.
Who handles questions about a specific parcel? NHDOT's January presentation names Bill Oldenburg, Special Projects Engineer, and Eric Sargent, Administrator of the Bureau of Right-of-Way, as contacts.
Where do approved sales show up? Each sale goes on a Governor and Executive Council agenda. The July 29, 2026 minutes list both Mark Street approvals, along with an 11.1-acre unimproved Merrimack parcel approved for sale at $251,000.
This post is general information about a public process. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, so check your own situation with an attorney, surveyor or lender before you act on a corridor property.
If you own a home near Wason Road, Mark Street, Trigate Road or Bush Hill Road, or you're thinking about bidding on one of the state's surplus homes, O'Connell & Company Real Estate can go over the sale order and assessed-value figures with you and help you set realistic expectations for timing. Contact Us to start that conversation.
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