Memorial Bridge (Portsmouth, New Hampshire)

The Memorial Bridge is a through truss lift bridge that carries U.S. 1 across the Piscataqua River between Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Badger's Island in Kittery, Maine USA.

The lift span can be fully opened to allow large commercial vessels to pass. During summer, the lift section is partially elevated every half-hour between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. for smaller commercial and recreational boat traffic. The bridge is the only one of the three Portsmouth harbor bridges with provisions for pedestrians and bicycles. New Hampshire and Maine designate the bridge as part of their State Bicycle Routes, and the bridge is part of the proposed East Coast Greenway. Due to the open-grate decking, however, cyclists are required to walk their bikes across the bridge.

History

Constructed between 1920 and 1923, the bridge was the first without toll to span the Piscataqua between Portsmouth and Kittery. The bridge was constructed as a joint venture between the Maine, New Hampshire, and United States federal governments. It was dedicated as a World War I memorial. Its plaque, above the entrance to the first truss span on the Portsmouth side, reads:

"Memorial to the Sailors and Soldiers of New Hampshire who participated in the World War 1917-1919."

Originally, the road over the bridge was part of New England Interstate Route 1, also known as the Atlantic Highway. When the New England routes were superseded by the United States Numbered Highways in 1926, NE 1 was the only route not renumbered, redesignated as US 1.

Bridge rehabilitation

Because of the condition of the bridge, vehicles weighing more than 20 tons are prohibited. This restriction was lowered to 10 tons on July 10, 2009. A rehabilitation project for the bridge was planned for 2009, pending funding. The project was expected to last two years and cost more than $30 million. It was expected that the federal government will cover 80% of the cost. The rest would have been split between Maine and New Hampshire.

The Memorial Bridge rehabilitation project has been placed on hold because the winning bid for the contract came in $15 Million over the intended budget. This stalled rehabilitation project together with proposals to demolish and replace the bridge were factors in the inclusion of the bridge in the National Trust for Historic Preservation list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2009.

Emergency closure

On October 16, 2009 the New Hampshire Department of Transportation and the Maine Department of Transportation announced the immediate closure of the bridge to all motor vehicle traffic for emergency repairs. The bridge was reopened on November 20, 2009 following completion of repair work, and was reposted at a three-ton weight limit.

Photographs

References

External links

• Dedication of the Memorial Bridge; Portsmouth, NH to Kittery, ME; August 17, 1923, pictures from the newsreel of the opening of the bridge (seacoastnh.com)
  • "A Big Bridge and a Little Girl, 1923", J. Dennis Robinson, Aug. 16, 1998. Related article discussing the bridge and girl who cut the ribbon. Her mother, and later she herself, would go on to become mayors of Portsmouth.
• Portsmouth area bicycle/pedestrian trail map (NH DOT)
• "Stuck gate on bridge stalls Rt. 1 traffic"; Emily Aronson, Portsmouth Herald, Sept. 14, 2006
• "A Bridge Too Vital", D. Allan Kerr, seacoastonline.com (opinion piece)

Categories: Buildings | Buildings in USA | Buildings in New Hampshire, USA | Buildings in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA | NTHP 11 Most Endangered | NTHP 11 Most Endangered 2009