The New Hampshire Executive Council and Gov. John Lynch have officially approved an $81.4 million contract to replace the Memorial Bridge. The design-build contract was awarded on Dec. 14 to Archer Western Contractors, a national firm with a regional office in Canton, Mass.

Demolition of the existing 90-year-old lift bridge, which crosses the Piscataqua River between Portsmouth and Kittery on Route 1, is expected to begin in late January. The new structure should be open to motor vehicle traffic by July 2013.

The New Hampshire Executive Council and Gov. John Lynch have officially approved an $81.4 million contract to replace the Memorial Bridge. The design-build contract was awarded on Dec. 14 to Archer Western Contractors, a national firm with a regional office in Canton, Mass.

Demolition of the existing 90-year-old lift bridge, which crosses the Piscataqua River between Portsmouth and Kittery on Route 1, is expected to begin in late January. The new structure should be open to motor vehicle traffic by July 2013.

The approved plan does not include nonfunctional, decorative cables proposed by local architect Lisa DeStefano. DeStefano pitched the idea during a public meeting on Nov. 29 and circulated an online petition to support it, but her proposal was not taken up by the Executive Council. Critics say the cables would have added to the project’s cost and potentially created maintenance and safety issues.

The new bridge will implement several advances in engineering technology to be constructed as quickly, efficiently and safely as possible. But some residents have been critical of the linear design of the truss.

Others have raised concerns about a shuttle service that will carry up to 12 passengers and six bicycles from Portsmouth to Kittery every hour from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. throughout the bridge closure. Critics say the shuttle capacity is insufficient, as 800 to 1,500 pedestrians and cyclists use Memorial Bridge each day.