Maine and New Hampshire Launching System to Alleviate Traffic at the Piscataqua River Bridge

If you've ever been caught in traffic on the Maine Turnpike crossing over the Piscataqua River Bridge between Maine and New Hampshire, you'll be excited to hear what the two states are doing to alleviate all that congestion.

The Maine DOT and the New Hampshire DOT have teamed up to install a $9.4 million PTSU system. PTSU stands for" Dynamic Part-Time Shoulder Use", and it's just what it sounds like.

At times of congestion between Exit 3 in Maine and Exit 3 in New Hampshire, drivers may be able to use the breakdown lane for travel.

In order to do that, the PTSU system uses signals over the lanes that show either a green arrow, a yellow X, or a red X. The green arrow means the lane is open for travel. A yellow X, which will be in the breakdown lane, means the lane is closing as a travel lane, so do not enter it. The red X means the lane is closed to all traffic except in an emergency.

In addition to the lane signals, there will be flashing warning signs at the on-ramps near the PTSU system. This way, drivers know that the shoulder is open for travel and to use extra caution when merging onto the highway, as there may be someone in the breakdown lane that drivers will want to be sure to yield to.

The system has already begun the testing phase, and they are hoping to have it up and running sometime this fall.