Comments / Questions
Please use this section of the web site to ask questions or make comments on the Study. If you have a question, you can choose to have your question answered online in the Comments section, or you can check "do not publish" and we will answer your question via your private email address.
Question / Comment:
Jason Jenkins of Portsmouth Resident submitted this comment on 08/14/09
I cringe a bit crossing the dilapidated Memorial bridge these days with my two young boys in the car... it's in very sketchy shape. The entire bridge needs replaced, not just rehabbed or repaired. We all know we can't live without a Memorial bridge, and we all know it needs replaced, so don't wait till this study period is over before you start working on a design for the new one. We need to be ready to start building as soon as the study is over. Designs should be final, money and crews should be ready to go. The current bridge is unsafe and an accident waiting to happen.
Some may say the new bridge should look identical to the existing one, but here is a chance to be bold and put a new modern stamp on the downtown waterfront with something that will have a longer lifespan and require far less maintenance. It still needs to be a low drawbridge, but there are many better ways to build bridges these days. Consider this exciting design from Rouen, France:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=19010329&postcount=88
I would also like to see a dedicated paved bike lane; walking across today is such a drag, and the current metal-grate road deck is unsafe for cycling.
Response:
Thanks very much for your comment.
Please do not worry about crossing the Memorial Bridge. It is safe for vehicles; the recent reduced weight posting has taken stress off the bridge to give it a longer life until a solution can be found.
MaineDOT/NHDOT
Question / Comment:
chuck ritenour of retired cruiser submitted this comment on 08/07/09
i am a full time cruiser that spends my winters in the south and summers going north as the weather changes - portsmouth/kittery makes a great in between stop where you can pull in for a day or more - this is our first year out - we are retired and simply cannot afford to go to marinas and have limited funds to take moorings so we mainly anchor - we anchored in kittery today as the cruising guides make it clear that anchoring on the portsmouth is not recommended due to ship traffic and river currents - we found out about the tall ship fest on the other side of the river and the only way we can figure to get there was by dingy and it just does seem entirely safe with the river currents and heavy boat traffic (some folks think it is fun give dingys big wakes) - so how do we get across - i call the portsmouth bus system and they said they do not go across the river -- WHY NOT? - i found portsmouth has lots of info on parking - kittery has nothing that i could find on mass transit
maybe you all should talk a bit about this -
as for us we need boat parts and reprovisioning and are headed out in the am to someplace where there is shopping easier to get to
as of now this will just be an overnight stop and not a place we want spend any time as we can not get around
chuck ritenour
retired full time cruiser
Response:
Mr. Ritenour:
Thanks for your comment. It is an excellent insight into the challenges cruisers face and the need for better connections.
Carol Morris
MaineDOT/NHDOT
Question / Comment:
Nathan Merrill submitted this comment on 05/08/09
I understand that it costs money to operate and maintain our two beloved lift bridges, but each plays a unique and critical role in our daily lives. Eliminating one or both of them, and/or creating a new high-level bridge, would rip the heart right out of our communities, akin to the decimation of Portsmouth's north end by Urban Renewal 50 years ago... A tragedy from which the city will never fully recover.
Traffic congestion is a perpetual (and growing) problem around the seacoast. The three Piscataqua River bridges work in harmony to efficiently navigate around the area. The Long Bridge provides rail access between our states, and to the Navy Yard. The Memorial bridge provides pedestrian and bike access, as well as serving as a war memorial for WWI veterans.
The contrasting design styles of the three bridges provides a unique landscape/viewshed for the historic seaports of Portsmouth and Kittery. Together the bridges have become an integral and historic part of the cultural fabric of the seacoast. They are more than just utilitarian bridges - they are a part of who we are, how our lives have changed over the decades, and of the visual identity of our communities. On top of all that, they remain functional critical transportation links for myriad uses and needs on a daily basis.
I urge the Maine and NH DOT's to weigh these values heavily when deciding which path to follow. Thank you for listening.
Response:
Thank you for you comment, Nathan.
MaineDOT/NHDOT