As Portsmouth and Kittery, Maine residents eagerly wait for the new Memorial Bridge to be open to motor vehicle traffic, details about this Thursday's ribbon cutting ceremony were released Monday afternoon.
According to Bill Boynton, the public information officer for the New Hampshire Department of Public Works, the ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. following a procession that will march from the Kittery side of the new span to the New Hampshire side.
Speakers include Gov. Maggie Hassan, U.S. Senators Susan Collins, R-Maine, Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, and Kelly Ayotte, R-NH, and U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez.
Boynton said the ribbon-cutting will feature former Portsmouth Mayor Eileen Foley, who cut the ribbon for the previous Memorial Bridge at age five on August 17, 1923.
Following the ceremony, the state agency said only bicyclists and pedestrians will be permitted to use the bridge until 2 p.m. when motor vehicle traffic will resume. There is still no word yet on when the bridge will be open to motor vehicle traffic prior to Thursday's ribbon cutting ceremony.
New Hampshire DOT officials have previously said the new $89.4 million span would be open to motor vehicle traffic anytime prior to the ceremony.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
