rally for the bridges

The state of N.H. has some great ideas about stimulus funding to repair the two lower bridges on the Piscataqua River, as well as the state pier in Portsmouth.
They’d really like Maine to be on board for the application—the bridges are shared between the two states. Officials in Augusta seem less interested.

A grassroots coalition will rally for a walk across the Memorial Bridge on Tuesday, April 28 at noon, to celebrate our shared community life, sustainable transportation, local history, and the power of local commerce.

We encourage you to step out and give a cheer for the bridges.

It’s not by accident that Portsmouth and Kittery are two healthy, vibrant towns in the midst of a troubled economy. It’s a choice. People who live and work nearby choose to do business locally and participate in community life, and they rely on the bridges to make those connections.

Portsmouth and Kittery are so closely connected, it makes more sense to think of them as one extended community. It’s easy to take bridges for granted, but imagine if the only way to get across town was to swim.

Officials are working on a bi-state study to re-examine long-term transportation plans, with public meetings April 27 at two locations, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Kittery Trading Post, and from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Portsmouth High School.

But in the meantime, the Memorial Bridge is in danger of closing—without funding, it could be declared unsafe within two to five years, well before any replacement bridge could be readied. That would mean a lot of empty storefronts in Kittery, but the severed connection would be felt by all of us.