MANCHESTER — The reconstruction of Interstate 293 could have broad implications for the Greater Manchester area, including surrounding towns, state transportation planners told a community meeting Wednesday night.

The session was called to start a new study that will be aimed at determining how to make using the section of the highway from Exit 5 to Exit 7 easier and safer.

It drew about 50 people. Many were officials from Manchester, Hooksett and Goffstown, the three most affected communities.

Martin Kennedy, a principal in the Bedford engineering firm of Vanesse, Hangen, Brustlin, said improvements to the road are needed.

“What's happening here is somewhat unique.” Kennedy said. “Capacity is important here, but so is safety,”

Kennedy outlined traffic issues with the road, including the daily backup along I-293 as traffic queues to maneuver onto the Amoskeag Circle.

“You have high traffic volume and a lot of weaving activity in a very confined area,” Kennedy said.

Transportation experts are looking at relocating the Front Street interchange, Exit 7, so that traffic can enter and leave the highway in all directions. The goal would be to encourage some of the traffic currently using Exit 6 to make use of a rebuilt Exit 7.

Widening the road to six lanes, three in each direction, is also a possibility, he said.

The meeting was the first of several to be held over the next 18 months as planners try to figure out what needs to be done to make I-293 adequate for the region's traffic needs over the next 20 years.

A special advisory committee has been established to help guide the project. It includes representatives from Manchester, Hooksett and Goffstown, including business leaders, government officials and planners.

The DOT has set up a website, www.293planningstudy.com, to provide information and receive feedback from the public as the planning continues.

Kennedy said rebuilding the interchanges at exits 6 and 7 could alleviate traffic issues on Goffstown Road.

Goffstown Selectman David Pierce suggested that such a relocation could affect Dunbarton Road as well, and said the traffic pattern changes could be felt in Dunbarton or Bow as well as in his community.

The actual start of construction depends on getting federal or state money.

“This is only funded for the planning stage,” said Kevin Cota, a state traffic engineer. “To proceed even from that part we will need funding.”

Federal Highway Administration officials are participating so that planners can make sure they meet requirements for federal funding. The state will have to rely on turnpike toll revenue to pay for whatever parts of the project the federal government won't fund.

In addition to sifting through public comment, engineers will use traffic data and observations from people who use the road to develop computer models to project the highway's ability to handle traffic volumes and driving patterns over the next two decades.

The next step will be for engineers to come up with preliminary designs. The most promising will undergo environmental review.

Whatever plan is ultimately selected will have to be carefully configured. The highway threads along the Merrimack River, slicing next to the city landfill at Exit 7.

State traffic engineer Kevin Cota was asked if the design would be “constrained” by the presence of the landfill.

“It's about as constrained as moving Mt. Washington to the western coast,” Cota said. “It's something we'd never be able to attempt.”

Boom and bust economic cycles have also had an impact on the highway. Between 2004 and 2008, traffic volume rose 14 percent. Since 2008, it has fallen by four percent.

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Bill Smith may be reached at wsmith@unionleader.com.