Sarah Long Bridge Closed This Week As Crews Make Final Repairs

PORTSMOUTH, NH - The new Sarah Mildred Long Bridge connecting Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to Kittery, Maine, on the Route 1 Bypass will be closed this week as crews finish work. According to Seacoast Online, the bridge opened on March 30 but will close until May 6.

Maine Department of Transportation spokesman Ted Talbot said Tuesday he could not yet comment in-depth on the work being done this week. He previously said the work involves patching the bridge’s towers at high altitudes, and contractor Cianbro will bring all resources necessary, including four-man lifts, to work on all four towers.

“For this reason, traffic cannot flow underneath for the safety of the workers and of the public,” he said in a statement. “In addition, a series of drones will be utilized to help prioritize what work must be completed during this closure.”

The $163 million bridge linking Kittery and Portsmouth via the Route 1 Bypass opened to traffic March 30. It was originally scheduled to open Sept. 1, 2017, but a series of unexpected delays became the center of much dispute between MDOT and Cianbro. Cianbro’s contract with the state allows the DOT to levy $1,000 per-day penalties for every day the bridge was closed to vehicles beyond the original opening day last September, and additional per-day penalties if the entire project is not complete beyond June 1. Talbot said the penalty process “has not at all started,” and won’t be looked at until the bridge itself is complete.

You can read the full story at Seacoast Online.