The first bridge crossing of the Passagassawakeag River at Belfast was opened in 1806 and was constructed of wood. Bits and pieces of it were lost to ice floes and storms, but it was pieced back together for decades. Its replacement opened in 1921 using concrete piers. Five years later, the Memorial Bridge became part of Route 1.
In 1963, the new steel and concrete span opened, and Belfast was bypassed. In 2006, Memorial Bridge was reopened as a pedestrian span, while keeping some of the architectural touches from the 1921 design.
It is hard to imagine that vehicles have crossed this same part of the river for 215 years!