an interchange on the existing US 1 Bypass. Major work on the toll road's main elements, including 14 overpasses, three bridges, and an traffic circle in Portsmouth, was mostly completed by December 1949. The turnpike would comprise four lanes on a macadam asphalt surface with granite curbs, shoulders, and a grass median. The project also included a provisional interchange near Hampton to connect with a future expressway serving Exeter (now NH 101). An additional spur route connecting the south end of the highway to US 1 in Salisbury, Massachusetts, was constructed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Works. The Blue Star Turnpike was dedicated on June 24, 1950, by Governor Adams and local officials in a ceremony attended by 5,000 people. It was immediately opened to traffic for a day of toll-free use and carried 12,416 vehicles on its first day. The initial toll was 10 to 15 cents for automobiles (equivalent to $ to $ in ) and 20 to 50 cents for trucks (equivalent to $ to $ in ), and the speed limit was set at . The turnpike had no services and was monitored by state police and highway workers, offering free vehicle towing and tire changes. It cost $7.4 million to construct (equivalent to $ in ), resulting in a $400,000 surplus (equivalent to $ in ) that was returned to the state government by the turnpike authority. Business owners in seacoast towns along US 1 reported major losses in sales following the turnpike's opening as 60 percent of traffic bypassed various towns. Traffic on US 1 later recovered to its original volume by the end of 1951. Connections and extension The Blue Star Turnpike was one of several toll roads grandfathered into the Interstate Highway System and designated as part of I-95 in 1957. The designation also included the Maine Turnpike to the north as well as a new freeway bypassing US 1 in northeastern Massachusetts that opened in September 1954 and connected Boston to the Blue Star Turnpike near Seabrook. The northern end at the Portsmouth Traffic Circle had an indirect connection to the Maine Turnpike, but was modified to include ramps to the new Spaulding Turnpike when it opened in August 1957. The Hampton interchange was expanded in 1963 to connect with the Exeter–Hampton Expressway (now part of NH 101). The US 1 Bypass, which bridged the disconnected sections of I-95 between