Also known as the Piscataqua River Bridge, the high-level bridge connects Portsmouth, NH to Kittery, ME.
First opened in 1972, the Piscataqua River Bridge is a six-lane bridge spanning 4,503 feet of Interstate 95. Since its initial construction, the bridge has undergone multiple upgrades and construction projects. According to Maine Ahead, the latest project began in spring 2019, and is expected to be completed in June 2023.
The project has two main goals: to make necessary repairs and improvements to allow the bridge to continue operating for decades to come, and to install an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). In the request for proposals (RFP) for the ITS project, NHDOT wrote that the system will “provide for a dynamic part-time shoulder use (PTSU) system operating along Interstate 95 (I-95) northbound from Exit 5 in New Hampshire to Exit 3 in Maine and along I-95 southbound from Exit 2 in Maine to Exit 5 in New Hampshire.”
This PTSU system will expand I-95 on the bridge to four lanes in one direction during peak traffic times, without increasing the width of the roadway. The most recent work on the NHDOT High-Level Bridge project saw H.B. Fleming install a drilled shaft foundation while Roadsafe Traffic supported traffic control for the foundation installation. Lane use signs will soon be installed at I-95 south in Kittery, ME near the High-Level Bridge.
In February 2022, Green Mountain was awarded a $9 million design build contract to design and construct the ITS for the High-Level Bridge project. Read more about the ITS contract here.
