Getting There: New Hampshire's new driver's licenses aren't just pretty, they're practical
John Marasco had his work cut out for him. New Hampshire driver's licenses were already really cool with the Old Man of the Mountain featured prominently.
But the Division of Motor Vehicles director really outdid himself with the new design this year.
Getting There
By incorporating the Old Man into the golden Real ID star logo, bringing the state flower to the forefront, changing the standard light blue headings to a green worthy of our tree-covered, mountainous terrain, and adding 'Live Free or Die' in microscopic text, Marasco created possibly the prettiest and most practical license in the country.
Take that, boring Massachusetts.
'We worked on that project for about a year and a half, and I can tell you that it's one of the most strategic, time-focused projects that that I've ever been a part of,' Marasco said last week at the Concord DMV. 'I mean, we would with the vendor at times, we would have three, four meetings a day, and that would go on. We had a repertoire of those meetings all throughout the last year leading up to implementation.
"Why? What does it entail? The final product of the card itself is really a technological wonder. The security features that are in there and everything that was done to make sure that the card ties into the fabric of New Hampshire history and values.'
The new high-tech ID cards were approved by the Department of Homeland Security, have anti-fraud measures, and if you look closely enough, you'll even see some hidden 'Easter eggs.'
'If you take a magnifying glass ... what you're going to see is on the front and back, micro text: 'Live Free or Die.' And you're also going to see all of your counties, landmarks throughout the state. It's an incredible credential. I think it's the most appealing-looking license in the country.'
Agreed.
If you love the state's flower — purple lilac — well, you can actually see that now, too.
'If you look at the front of the old license, there's actually a purple lilac, but you'd never know it. It looks like a gyroscope. We wanted to do something this time around that was more pronounced,' Marasco said.
The state had to make it so the license could be produced roughly 360,000 times a year in 14 different DMV offices and 60 counters. That meant new equipment, training and a nightmare for quality control so the lines at the DMV don't get any longer.
'Every one of those counters has a desktop on one side and a screen on the other. It's got the camera, which is state-of-the-art. It's got the signature pad. It's got two different ways to verify documents — Social Security cards, passports, document verification. The printer. Sixty counters around the state had to have all the old equipment come out, all the new equipment go up.'
Finally, for any hockey fans out there, it's also neat that every New Hampshire license number starts with 'NHL.'
Talk about icing on the cake, eh?
Real ID deadline
On May 7, anyone who wants to fly within the U.S. must have a Real ID or face possible delays getting through security.
New Hampshire has one of the highest percentages of compliance in the country with more than 65% already all set, the DMV director said. If you were wondering, at the end of March there were still more than 66,000 drivers or state-issued ID holders who have said, 'Nah' to the Real ID.
Marasco said the state will continue to offer the slightly cheaper non-compliant option, but he anticipates the Real ID percentage to rise over 70% by the deadline.
Exit 4A update
If the weather is nice enough, the Department of Transportation will begin work on Folsom Road in Derry at 7 a.m. Sunday between Ferland Drive and the Franklin Street intersection to put in a temporary pipe for Shields Brook to flow through the construction area.
Work is expected to be done on Monday, but drivers will have to maneuver around a detour.
The work is part of the $31 million interchange project to create Exit 4A on Interstate 93 and construct a wide access road, up to seven lanes at one point, to get drivers in and out of the heart of Derry.
For traffic updates, visit newengland511.org.
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