and Maine, led to proposals in the 1930s for a bypass that would connect with a new bridge over the Piscataqua River near Portsmouth. The US 1 Bypass was opened in 1940 as a divided highway with grade separation and traveled around Portsmouth, connecting to Maine via a new lift bridge. The highway and bridge cost $3 million to construct (equivalent to $ in ) and were partially funded by the federal government as a New Deal project. Turnpike construction A modern turnpike through the Seacoast Region was proposed in the early 1940s as part of a New England regional network that would connect with the Maine Turnpike, which had been announced in 1941 and opened in 1947. The proposal was opposed from seacoast towns, who feared that traffic would bypass New Hampshire's beaches and instead favored widening US 1. The state legislature established the New Hampshire Turnpike Authority in 1947 to oversee construction of a turnpike with four lanes and limited exits. It would be funded with a $7.5 million (equivalent to $ in ) bond issue that would be retired by 1977. The state government formally approved the construction of the turnpike in February 1948, setting up a tollway commission to purchase and condemn land for right-of-way. Among the affected landowners was then-Governor Charles M. Dale, who opted to donate part of his North Hampton farm instead of accepting a payment from the state government. A $5.25 million (equivalent to $ in ) bid from a Connecticut-based construction firm was accepted in October 1948 and construction on the turnpike began the following month. Early construction was slowed by a temporary injunction requested by the New Hampshire Gas and Electric Company to allow for the relocation of utility poles in the highway's right-of-way. State highway engineer Daniel Dickenson resigned from their positions in August 1949, following an investigation ordered by governor Sherman Adams into the awarding of a design contract for the turnpike project. Dickenson received payments from a former business associate, Charles Morse, who was an associate with the engineering firm that designed portions of the tollway for an inflated price. Morse was later fired from his position by Frank Merrill, the new state highway commissioner following the resignation of Frederic E. Everett. Amid the investigations, the state legislature approved an additional $280,000 in contingency funds (equivalent to $ in ) that would also be used to expand