KITTERY - A new, dynamic part-time shoulder use (PTSU) system is now operational for motorists on I-95 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Kittery, Maine. This PTSU system is in place on approximately three miles of I-95 - between Exit 5 in New Hampshire and Exit 3 in Maine - including the Piscataqua River Bridge. Designed to reduce congestion and improve safety, the PTSU system will be used during peak travel periods from May through October, during unplanned incidents, and as traffic conditions warrant.

Based on real-time travel conditions, crews at the Maine Turnpike Authority's Transportation Management and Communications Center in Portland will determine when to allow the right shoulder of the road southbound to be used as an open travel lane while New Hampshire will manage the PTSU northbound. When the PTSU system is activated, motorists will see the system's messaging components (beacons and lane-use signals) turn on to indicate when the shoulder is open for travel. There will also be warning signs with flashing beacons at the on-ramps approaching the system to alert merging traffic when the shoulder lane is open for travel and to use extra caution when merging into the highway. Traffic operators from both states will close the shoulder to traffic when congestion eases, if there's a motorist in the breakdown lane, or if any other emergency situation warrants the closure of the shoulder. Safety patrols will be increased when the PTSU system is in use.

The PTSU system is the result of a partnership involving the Maine Department of Transportation, the Maine Turnpike Authority, and the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. The three agencies also collaborated on a project to rehabilitate and revitalize the Piscataqua River Bridge. That work extended the life of the bridge, added needed safety improvements, and prepared the structure for this new PTSU system.

Green Mountain Communications of Pembroke, New Hampshire is the general contractor for the PTSU system. The contract amount was $9.4 million. The total project cost, including engineering and design work, was approximately $10 million.

View an illustration of the new system here: https://www.maine.gov/mdot/_assets/img/Part-Time%20Shoulder%20Use%20Illustration.pdf.