The World War I Memorial Bridge is a vertical-lift bridge that carries U.S. Route 1 across the Piscataqua River between Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Badger's Island in Kittery, Maine, United States. The current bridge was opened in 2013, replacing a bridge of similar design that existed from 1923 to 2012. A large overhead plaque carried over from the original reads "Memorial to the Sailors and Soldiers of New Hampshire who gave their lives in the World War 1917–1919." The lift span can be fully opened to allow large commercial vessels to pass. During summer, the lift section remains partially elevated every half-hour between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. for about 15 minutes. This allows smaller commercial and recreational boat traffic. The bridge is currently the only one of the three Piscataqua River bridges with provisions for pedestrians. New Hampshire and Maine designated the bridge as part of their State Bicycle Routes, and the bridge is part of the proposed East Coast Greenway. Original bridge Constructed between 1920 and 1923, the original Memorial Bridge was the first without toll to span the Piscataqua between Portsmouth and Kittery. The bridge was constructed as a joint venture between the states of Maine and New Hampshire and the federal government, and dedicated as a World War I memorial. Originally, the road over the bridge was part of New England Interstate Route 1, also known as the Atlantic Highway. When the New England routes were superseded by the United States Numbered Highways in 1926 it was redesignated as US 1. It was additionally designated as US Bicycle Route 1 in May, 2011 as part the first major expansion of the United States Bicycle Route System since its creation in the 1980s. At the bridge's dedication on August 17, 1923, five-year old Eileen Foley—known then by her birth name, Helen Dondero—cut the ceremonial silk ribbon to officially open it to traffic. Foley would later serve as mayor of Portsmouth for eight terms (1968–1971, 1984–1985 and 1988–1997). Foley tied a blue ribbon onto the bridge's plaque for the closing ceremony on October 1, 2011. On August 8, 2013, she returned to dedicate the replacement bridge, 90 years after the opening of the original bridge. She died in February 2016. Deterioration and replacement plan Because of the condition of the bridge, vehicles weighing more than 20 tons were prohibited. This restriction was lowered to 10 tons on July