Act NOW!!
Let's make sure the Memorial & Sarah Long Bridges are fixed and usable where they currently located!
Cathy Goodwin,
President/CEO
Greater York Chamber of Commerce
Here are the Facts:
There is about $1.5 Billion available for this round of stimulus funding. The 50 states have applied for funding in the total amount of $57 Billion.
That means that only 2% of the requested funding is actually available. The implication is that we need to have both a solid technical application for the repair of the Memorial Bridge, and we need political support.
From a technical perspective, Maine and New Hampshire have collaborated to develop an application that hits all the key requirements for stimulus funding. The current closure of the Memorial Bridge, and reduction of load capacity will hopefully provide emphasis to the criticality of the bridge's current condition. But other bridges have been closed in the last week, including one across Lake Champlain in New York. They will surely be using that closure as a reason to get their share of the limited funds.
That means that we need a full court press to gain the needed political support. What will make a difference for us is our unique community support for the project. Now we need to make that support vocal to our US Congressional delegations.
Contact Information:
Write to your congressional delegations TODAY asking for their support for the project. You can use the links below to connect to our congressional delegation, and their email systems.
Maine:
Here is a suggested text for your letter:
Support for Joint New Hampshire-Maine TIGER Grant Proposal
Suggested Text:
Maine and New Hampshire have submitted a request for funding to repair the Memorial Bridge between Portsmouth and Kittery. This message is to reinforce the need for this critical connection for our community, and to request your support for the approval of the TIGER Grant application.
Since the application was submitted, the condition of the Memorial Bridge has deterioriated significantly. It is currently closed, and when reopened at the end of November, will be limited to cars and pickup trucks (3 tons). Without funding, the bridge will be permanently closed in one to three years.
The bridge is critical to the survival of Kittery/Portsmouth as viable commercial and tourist destinations.
Please do what you can to insure that our proposal receives the priority that it deserves, and that will assure we receive the funding needed for this critical project.
Thanks again for your support of the repair of the Memorial Bridge.
Signed,
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