PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) Two new historical highway markers in New Hampshire commemorate the U.S. Route 1 Bypass in Portsmouth and the site of the Homestead Woolen Mills Dam in West Swanzey.

The Route 1 Bypass marker is next to the Portsmouth Traffic Circle. It says the bypass was part of a New Deal project in 1940 to move U.S. Route 1 traffic away from the congested city streets. The bypass created a second Piscataqua River crossing into Maine via the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge.

“Today, the U.S. Route 1 Bypass is one of the oldest signed bypasses in the country’s numbered route system,” the marker says.

The Homestead Woolen Mills Dam marker is near the West Swanzey Bridge on Route 10. The dam on the Ashuelot River was built in the 1850s to power woolen and woodenware mills. It was later used only for water controls after the 1920s until it was removed in 2010.

Any municipality, organization or individual wishing to propose a historical highway marker to commemorate significant New Hampshire places, persons or events must submit a petition of support signed by at least 20 New Hampshire citizens. They must also draft the text of the marker and provide footnotes and copies of supporting documentation, as well as a suggested location for marker placement.

The historical marker program is jointly managed by the state Division of Historical Resources and the Department of Transportation.

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