Piscataqua River Bridge
The Piscataqua River Bridge is a through arch bridge that crosses the Piscataqua River, connecting Portsmouth, NH with Kittery, Maine. Carrying six lanes of Interstate 95, the bridge is the third modern span and first fixed crossing of the Piscataqua between Portsmouth and Kittery. The two other spans, the Memorial Bridge and the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge, are both lift bridges, built to accommodate ship traffic along the Piscataqua. The high arch design of the Piscataqua River Bridge eliminates the need for a movable roadway.
—Source
History
The development of the Interstate Highway System required new roadbeds to be constructed and existing ones to be absorbed into the network. The decision was made to extend I-95 north from the New Hampshire Turnpike at Portsmouth and south from the Maine Turnpike in Kittery, and join the roads with a high-speed fixed span over the Piscataqua. Work on the bridge began in 1968 and was completed in 1971, with the I-95 extension to it in Maine completed the following year. The bridge was officially opened on November 1, 1972.
Type
Bridge
Parent Location
Comments