New Hampshire’s legislators have been charged by the people with funding the proper functions of state government in ways that don’t cause taxes or fees to rise. A particularly tricky area in which to do this is transportation. State roads and bridges are funded by gas taxes. People want improved roads and bridges, but no gas tax increases. What to do? The House votes Wednesday on a solution.

House Bill 1400 would allow the state transportation commissioner to lease the naming rights to some transportation infrastructure, including bridges, overpasses and exits. Don’t recoil in horror just yet. This idea has real merit.

We completely understand the reluctance to rename beloved sports venues after corporate sponsors. This is a little different, at least in emotional impact. First, who has an emotional attachment to a highway overpass? Second, we already allow corporate sponsorships of highway segments. It’s called the Adopt-A-Highway program. Having a corporate name on a bridge is hardly shocking when numerous corporate signs are passed on the way to that bridge.

The bill limits naming rights leases to 25 years and forbids them on property already named after an individual. Bridges named after fallen veterans won’t be renamed after potato chip makers.

The bill would allow the state to boost highway revenue by extending a practice already used on highways. The bill as written lacks any restriction on who can buy naming rights. That needs to be fixed. We should not have bridges named after strip clubs, for instance. Otherwise, name away. It will be good for the state and the economy.