10, 2009. A rehabilitation project for the bridge was planned for 2009, pending funding. The project was expected to last two years and cost more than $30 million. It was expected that the federal government would cover 80% of the cost. The rest would have been split between Maine and New Hampshire. The Memorial Bridge rehabilitation project was placed on hold in 2009 because the winning bid for the contract came in $15 million over the intended budget. This stalled rehabilitation project together with proposals to demolish and replace the bridge were factors in the inclusion of the bridge in the National Trust for Historic Preservation list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2009. Closure and demolition Emergency repairs caused a month long closure in October–November 2009, and a ten-day one in December 2010. Plans for replacement continued to move forward. On July 27, 2011, the Memorial Bridge was permanently closed. An inspection cited "too many problems in too many places." On January 3, 2012, the NHDOT announced that the bridge would be further closed to pedestrians and cyclists on January 9, 2012. The NHDOT operated an hourly shuttle bus between Portsmouth and Kittery until the new bridge was complete. The center span of the bridge was demolished on February 8, 2012. New bridge On May 6, 2010, the Senate Transportation Committee of the New Hampshire legislature unanimously voted to include $44 million in bonds that, in addition to other state and federal funds, would allow the Memorial Bridge to be replaced without further funding from Maine, which is half-owner of the bridge. This plan was contingent on approval by the full legislature, an agreement with the State of Maine, and availability of federal stimulus funds. George Campbell, commissioner of the NHDOT, said at a Portsmouth City Council meeting in 2010 that the bridge was too far beyond repair for rehabilitation. Original bridge piers would be reused. The replacement would look similar to the original span. The bridge was designed by Theodore Zoli of HNTB and built by Archer Western Contractors. The new bridge was officially dedicated at a ceremony on the New Hampshire side of the span just before noon on August 8, 2013. The bridge initially opened to only pedestrians and bicyclists. The new bridge—constructed over two still existing piers—opened to vehicular traffic at 2:00 p.m., first with southbound traffic (Maine to New Hampshire), and then