Piscataqua River Bridge

The Piscataqua River Bridge, is a cantilevered through arch bridge that crosses the Piscataqua River, connecting Portsmouth, New Hampshire 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 older 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.

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Piscataqua River Bridge, behind the Long Bridge

As part of the Interstate Highway System, Interstate 95 was routed along the New Hampshire Turnpike, which had opened to traffic in 1950, and paralleled US 1 through New Hampshire's seacoast from the Massachusetts border to the Turnpike's end at the Portsmouth Circle. Between the Portsmouth Circle and the beginning of the Maine Turnpike, there was a gap in I-95 that was filled by the US 1 Bypass, crossing over the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge. Since the Long bridge is a lift bridge with only a two lane roadway, it was far from meeting Interstate Highway standards.

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 an uninterrupted high speed span over the Piscataqua. Work on the bridge was completed in 1971, and the I-95 extension to it in Maine was completed the following year.

Photo 67a, May 2003

Piscataqua River Bridge, from upriver

Photo 135, Oct 2006

View of other two bridges from middle of Memorial Bridge: Sarah Mildred Long Bridge (aka Middle Bridge, Rt 1 Bypass), and Piscataqua River Bridge (Rt 95). Sept 2011

Photo 56a, Sept 2011