Final Piece of Memorial Bridge to Be Floated In

Hundreds of Portsmouth area Memorial Bridge watchers who want to witness the middle lift span floated into place will have to do it early Monday morning.

According to Carol Morris, a spokesperson for Archer Western Contractors, the float in has been tentatively scheduled for 1 a.m. on Monday, June 17. She wrote in her e-mail the middle lift span, which is currently sitting on top of the Cape Cod Barge at the New Hampshire State Pier on Market Street, will be moved down river to the other side of the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge sometime on Sunday.

Morris noted that she would have more information about the float in schedule for the middle span sometime on Friday or Saturday.

As was the case with the south span and north span float ins, Archer Western Contractors officials choose to do them during slack tide. Earlier this month, Archer Western Contractors officials pushed back the middle span float in from June 10 to June 17.

Morris wrote in an earlier e-mail the Piscataqua River will be closed for five days with the United States Coast Guard (USCG)  from 1 a.m. on June 17 and continue through 1 a.m. on June 22. Archer Western Contractors officials are still shooting for the new bridge to be completed and opened to motor vehicle traffic in July.