Bridge North Span to be Floated in Next Week

Nearly two months after the Memorial Bridge south span was floated in, the north span will follow the same trajectory next week, according to Archer Western Contractors officials.

Carol Morris, a spokesperson for the company, wrote in an e-mail Friday afternoon that it is shooting for Wednesday, March 5 at 1 a.m. to take advantage of the tides.

"The barge Cape Cod will leave the State Pier in Portsmouth at 1 a.m. and move down river to the bridge site. The Cape Cod’s path will take it slightly past the bridge site where it will then turn and approach the rebuilt bridge piers on the Kittery side," Morris wrote.

She noted the Archer Western crews will position the barge between Piers 3 and 4. The span will be positioned close to its final location over the piers.

"Once the barge is in position, the crew will be adjusting the span’s elevation using the temporary jacking system to lower the span onto the bearings on the top of each pier," Morris wrote.

“The tide and currents dictate that we start early in the morning,” said Stephen DelGrosso, Archer Western Project Manager, in a prepared statement. “Our schedule does not allow us to wait for a daytime start.” DelGrosso expects the operation to be complete by late Wednesday afternoon.

The south span was successfully floated in to the Portsmouth side of the Piscataqua River and attached to the Scott Avenue approach on January 15. Morris wrote that once the Cape Cod barge returns to the New Hampshire State Pier, the center span will be constructed. Archer Western Contractors are scheduled to complete the new Memorial Bridge on July 6.