To the Editor:

The new Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge across the Merrimack River to Raymond Wieczorek Drive is a plus for Bedford. I urge people to drive across it and explore the surroundings.

The new bridge and Ray Wieczorek Drive opens up a route for people to bicycle and walk across the Merrimack River without having to go to the pedestrian bridge, Hands Across the Merrimack, or across the Queen City Bridge. For bicyclists, there is both a path beside the bridge and as well as accessibility to the road itself. For those bicyclists who may want to commute to work in or visit Londonderry, Manchester, or the Industrial Park this access will be much appreciated.

Thanks to Bike-Walk Alliance of New Hampshire’s (BWA-NH) ongoing efforts for the past three years, assured access has been achieved according to federal guidelines for such projects. Originally the $175 million project was designed without accommodations for bicyclists on the main roadway. Mopeds and electric bicycles would also have been prohibited from using the bridge to access local roads where they are commonly used. Working with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration, BWA-NH, the statewide advocacy group for biking and walking, advocated for a safe and sensible means for people to bike and walk between Bedford and Londonderry across the new bridge. In the process they also advocated for full bike access to the Nashua-Hudson Sagamore Bridge which was not in compliance. In March 2010, the DOT removed the restrictions from both bridges.

On the Nov. 10, 2011, grand opening, bicyclists and pedestrians were the first to cross the bridge – a reward for looking out for the interests of bicyclists and pedestrians. Without the advocacy efforts of BWA-NH, the MAAR bridge would just be a link for motorists with vehicular bicyclists and moped users having no way to access the local roads by crossing the new bridge.

For more information on Bike-Walk Alliance of NH, go to www.bwanh.org.

LINDA GOULD

BWA-NH Executive Director