Little Bay Bridge

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Coordinates: 43°07′05″N 70°49′32″W / 43.1181°N 70.82559°W / 43.1181; -70.82559
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Little Bay Bridge
View in November 2019 between the Ruth L. Griffin Bridge and General Sullivan Bridge, with underside of the Capt. John F. Rowe Bridges at the far left
Coordinates43°07′05″N 70°49′32″W / 43.1181°N 70.82559°W / 43.1181; -70.82559
Carries7 lanes of US 4 / NH 16 / Spaulding Turnpike, and pedestrians and bicycles on the northbound span, Sullivan bridge permanently closed, previously carried all traffic until 1966 and northbound traffic from then until 1984, carried pedestrian traffic until 2018
CrossesPiscataqua River
LocaleDover and Newington, New Hampshire
Official nameGeneral Sullivan Bridge
Capt. John F. Rowe Bridge
Ruth L. Griffin Bridge
Maintained byNew Hampshire Department of Transportation
ID number006502010002500 (Northbound)[1] 006502010002400 (Southbound)[2]
Characteristics
Total length486.2 m (1,595 ft)
Width8.5 m (27.9 ft) (each span)
Clearance above6.93 m (22.7 ft)
Clearance below14 m (45.9 ft)
History
Opened1873 (Original Little Bay Bridge)
1934 (Sullivan)
1966 (Rowe southbound initially, currently northbound)
1984 (Rowe northbound)
2013 (Griffin)
Closed1934 (original bridge)
1984 (Sullivan Bridge; to vehicles)
2018 (Sullivan Bridge; all uses)
2013–2018 (Rowe bridge; for rehabilitation)
Statistics
Daily traffic67,673 (2015)
Location
Map

The Little Bay Bridge (sometimes appearing in the plural) refers to one or more bridges that carry road traffic across the mouth of Little Bay where it meets the Piscataqua River, between the city of Dover and the town of Newington in New Hampshire. The term has been in use since at least 1933.[3]

Currently, a pair of four-lane girder bridges carry a concurrency of U.S. Route 4, NH Route 16, and the Spaulding Turnpike over the mouth of Little Bay. As of August 2019, the bridges carried seven motor vehicle lanes with four shoulders, and one non-motorized multi-use path.[4]

History[edit]

Little Bay had previously been spanned by a bridge that carried railroad tracks and mobile transportation. It opened to wagon traffic in December 1873 when partially completed,[5] and began carrying rail traffic when fully completed in February 1874.[5]

General Sullivan Bridge in June 2013, with the Ruth L. Griffin Bridge under construction (yellow crane)

A replacement bridge was completed in 1934,[5][6] and was dedicated that year on September 5.[7] It lies approximately 100 yards (91 m) south of the 1873–74 bridge.[5] It cost US$1 million to build ($22.8 million in 2023), and in early 1935 was named the "General John Sullivan Memorial Bridge" (commonly known as the General Sullivan Bridge) in honor of John Sullivan, a Revolutionary War general from nearby Somersworth.[8][9] At this point, the original bridge was closed for demolition, and after roughly 61 years of service the 1873–74 bridge was fully dismantled by February 1935.[10]

On November 1, 1949, toll fare on the General Sullivan Bridge was discontinued as the bonds were fully paid off.[11]

In 1956, the Spaulding Turnpike was routed over the bridge.[12]

In 1966, the Eastern Turnpike Bridge,[citation needed] a two-lane girder bridge that cost US$3 million ($28.2 million in 2023), was opened to serve northbound traffic on September 28.[13] Upon its opening, the General Sullivan Bridge was converted to serving southbound traffic only;[14] this doubled the capacity of the crossing from what it was prior.[6]

View looking south from Dover Point. From left; the 1984 and 1966 spans of the Capt. John F. Rowe Bridge, and the General Sullivan Bridge. Photo taken in 2006, prior to construction of the Ruth L. Griffin Bridge between the bridges shown.

In 1984, the Capt. John F. Rowe Bridge, named for merchant John Rowe, was opened. At this time, northbound traffic was routed onto the new bridge, and southbound traffic was moved to the newly renamed 1966 bridge. The General Sullivan Bridge was then repurposed into a pedestrian walkway; this made it a popular fishing spot.[15][16]

Warning sign on the General Sullivan Bridge, as seen in March 2013

In 2010, fencing was installed to limit access to specific areas of the General Sullivan Bridge, due to its deteriorating condition.[6] In 2011, the bridge was repaired,[6] and the Dover approach was reconstructed in order to allow construction of the Griffin Bridge.[6]

The Ruth L. Griffin Bridge,[17] named for a 20-year member of the Executive Council of New Hampshire,[18][19] was completed in November 2013[20] to temporarily ease traffic congestion across the Rowe bridge. It is physically located between the original Rowe and General Sullivan Bridge. Once the Griffin bridge was completed, all traffic from the Rowe bridge was moved to it, so both of the Rowe bridges could be closed for renovations and placement of a new unified road deck. Renovations were completed in November 2015, although the Rowe bridge remained closed for several years due to significant realignment work on the nearby U.S. Route 4 interchange.[20]

In 2015, more fencing was installed to block pedestrians from walking across the crumbling mid-segment.[6]

View in November 2019 between the Ruth L. Griffin Bridge and General Sullivan Bridge, with underside of the Capt. John F. Rowe Bridge at far left.

In September 2018, the General Sullivan Bridge was permanently closed for all uses.[21] Northbound traffic returned to the newly rebuilt Rowe bridges in December 2018.[22] The third northbound lane on the Rowe Bridge was opened on May 23, 2019.[23] All four lanes of the Griffin bridge were opened to southbound traffic on July 20, 2019.[24] A non-motorized multi-use path was opened on the northbound shoulder in August 2019.[4]

A new merge pattern just north of the bridge, better enabling traffic from U.S. Route 4 and the Spaulding Turnpike to utilize the four southbound lanes, went into effect in late April 2020.[25]

Future[edit]

While the General Sullivan Bridge "is nationally significant... as an early and highly influential example of continuous truss highway design in the United States", its future is uncertain.[26] The Coast Guard regards it as a navigation hazard and favors its removal.[27] Bridge proponents cite its eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.[27] As of July 2018, restored pedestrian and bicycle access to the bridge was planned for the summer of 2022.[20] As of January 2020, "the state’s plan now is to build a new bridge on the existing piers".[28] The new bridge was expected to be a 16-foot-wide (4.9 m) multi-use path.[26]

In February 2023, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NH DOT) estimated the cost of replacing the original bridge with a 9-foot-wide (2.7 m) bicycle and pedestrian walkway at $34.8 million, with a 2026 completion date.[29] In June 2023, $20 million was allocated for the project from the federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program.[29] In August 2023, NH DOT put the General Sullivan Bridge up for sale, but did not receive any offers.[29] In September 2023, bidding for the replacement project came in at over $80 million, potentially delaying efforts.[29]

Northbound traffic could be expanded to use four lanes of the Rowe bridge; this would require removal of the pedestrian walkway.[22]

In popular culture[edit]

The General Sullivan Bridge, although it was not named, appeared in a 1997 episode of WWF Monday Night Raw, when Steve Austin threw the WWE Intercontinental Championship belt (then belonging to The Rock) into the river below.[30]

Photographs[edit]

  • Dover abutment of the Rowe bridges
    Dover abutment of the Rowe bridges
  • Underside of the Rowe bridges, showing the dual two-lane spans
    Underside of the Rowe bridges, showing the dual two-lane spans
  • The Sullivan bridge as seen from Hilton Park on Dover Point
    The Sullivan bridge as seen from Hilton Park on Dover Point
  • The Sullivan bridge, as seen from Wagon Hill Park in nearby Durham
    The Sullivan bridge, as seen from Wagon Hill Park in nearby Durham
  • The Sullivan Bridges plaque, which reads "U.S. Public Works Project Docket No. 752"
    The Sullivan Bridges plaque, which reads "U.S. Public Works Project Docket No. 752"

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "US 4,NH 16,TPK NB over LITTLE BAY,RD". bridgereports.com. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  2. ^ "US 4,NH 16,TPK SB over LITTLE BAY,RD". bridgereports.com. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  3. ^ "Newington". The Portsmouth Herald. Portsmouth, New Hampshire. May 15, 1933. p. 4. Retrieved April 27, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b Early, Brian. "Little Bay bridge foot-bike path nearly ready". fosters.com. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  5. ^ a b c d "Great Bay First Spanned by Private Bridge Owner". The Portsmouth Herald. October 31, 1949. p. 3. Retrieved July 18, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "About the General Sullivan Bridge". NHDOT. Retrieved July 17, 2018 – via newington-dover.com.
  7. ^ "Dedicate New Bridge Today". The Portsmouth Herald. September 5, 1934. p. 1. Retrieved July 18, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Would Honor Sullivan In Naming New Bridge". The Portsmouth Herald. February 1, 1935. p. 3. Retrieved April 27, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Currie, Judi (February 15, 2015). "Who was Gen. Sullivan?: Bridge often confused as replacement project continues". Foster's Daily Democrat. Dover, New Hampshire. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  10. ^ "Tearing Down Old Bridge at Dover Point". The Portsmouth Herald. February 4, 1935. p. 8. Retrieved July 19, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "General Sullivan Bridge Free Tomorrow". The Portsmouth Herald. October 31, 1949. p. 1. Retrieved July 18, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Spaulding Turnpike Now Open to Traffic". The Portsmouth Herald. Portsmouth, New Hampshire. August 30, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved July 11, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "New Great Bay Span Opened Up to Traffic". The Portsmouth Herald. September 29, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved April 27, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "King Dedicates Bridge in Dover". The Telegraph. Nashua, New Hampshire. AP. September 29, 1966. p. 7. Retrieved April 27, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Here and There". The Portsmouth Herald. July 30, 1940. p. 4. Retrieved July 19, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Kennedy, Bob (July 11, 1944). "Sport City". The Portsmouth Herald. p. 6. Retrieved July 19, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  17. ^ McMenemy, Jeff (June 28, 2018). "Sununu signs bill naming bridge for Ruth Griffin". seacoastonline.com. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  18. ^ "Bridge named in honor of longtime executive councilor". The Republic. Columbus, Indiana. June 28, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  19. ^ @NewHampshireDOT (June 28, 2018). "The newest Spaulding Turnpike Bridge over Little Bay in Newington-Dover is now the Ruth L. Griffin Bridge, named after the former Executive Councilor" (Tweet). Retrieved May 23, 2019 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ a b c Briand, Paul (July 16, 2018). "Spaulding Turnpike project: Little Bay bridge to see traffic in fall". Foster's Daily Democrat. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  21. ^ "Gen. Sullivan Bridge closed to pedestrians, cyclists". seacoastonline.com. September 28, 2018. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  22. ^ a b Briand, Paul (December 10, 2018). "Big change coming to Spaulding Turnpike's exit 6". Foster's Daily Democrat. Dover, New Hampshire.
  23. ^ @NewHampshireDOT (May 23, 2019). "A new northbound third lane was opened this morning on the Spaulding Turnpike over the Little Bay Bridge in Newington and Dover" (Tweet). Retrieved May 23, 2019 – via Twitter.
  24. ^ Early, Brian. "Spaulding Turnpike drivers love open lanes - sorry, it won't last". fosters.com. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  25. ^ Briand, Paul (April 21, 2020). "Spaulding Turnpike commute getting easier as new lanes open". seacoastonline.com. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  26. ^ a b "Adverse Effect Memo" (PDF). New Hampshire Department of Transportation. January 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2020 – via newington-dover.com.
  27. ^ a b New Hampshire DOT. "New Hampshire Department of Transportation - Spaulding Turnpike : Newington-Dover - Commonly Asked Questions". Archived from the original on 2006-11-20. Retrieved 2006-10-03.
  28. ^ McMenemy, Jeff (January 9, 2020). "Last call to save Gen. Sullivan Bridge unlikely to be heard". Foster's Daily Democrat. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  29. ^ a b c d Kitch, Michael (September 29, 2023). "General Sullivan Bridge removal set back". New Hampshire Business Review. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  30. ^ "Stone Cold Chucks the Intercontinental Belt over a bridge". Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved July 17, 2018 – via YouTube.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Little Bay Bridge.
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