Three bridges join Portsmouth, NH and Kittery, Maine over the Piscataqua River. Only one of them allows bicyclists and pedestrians. That span, the historic Memorial Bridge, is the route for the East Coast Greenway and US Bike Route One, and is currently being replaced.  The Departments of Transportation of New Hampshire and Maine have put in place a van shuttle (with bike rack) to bring cyclists and pedestrians back and forth, at no direct cost to the user. We are grateful to the DOTs for establishing the van shuttle. However, we find this solution insufficient; cyclists and walkers should be able to cross the river at their convenience, not dependent on a van shuttle schedule, and not restricted by the number of people and bikes that the van can carry. We are also dissatisfied with the pedestrian accommodation in the design of the new Memorial Bridge, now in design, and we wish to ensure access to the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge for bicyclists and pedestrians after its rehabilitation (or reconstruction), which will follow completion of the Memorial Bridge project. To create proper transportation options for bicyclists and walkers, we endorse the following: 1. Inclusion of bump-outs on the sidewalks of the new Memorial Bridge design to compensate for the proposed narrow 6-ft sidewalks 2. Improved interim bike/ped crossing options during Memorial Bridge construction. 3. Whether rehabbed or replaced, the new Sarah Mildred Long Bridge must include a facility for bike/ped traffic – preferably, a 12-ft shared use path cantilevered on the upstream side of the bridge.

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