Community Corner
DOT Crews Work to Repair Sarah Long Bridge
New Hampshire Department of Transportation officials say maintenance crews are battling frigid temperatures and a difficult challenge to repair the span.
New Hampshire Department of Transportation maintenance crews have been working on repairing the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge since 7 a.m. on Thursday morning in frigid single-digit temperatures.
DOT spokesman Bill Boynton said they face a difficult challenge to repair the bridge's middle lift span, which has been stuck one foot above the road since Wednesday afternoon. He said the necessary equipment was moved into place on Wednesday night and the DOT is still hoping to reopen the bridge by Friday or Saturday.
"They are working with torches to remove damaged sections of the guides upon which the lift span is raised and lowered. They will then have to jack the span into place back into the guides… then put steel patches in place on the guides," Boynton wrote in an e-mail on Thursday afternoon.
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Portsmouth and Kittery, Maine police continue to divert northbound and southbound bridge traffic to Interstate 95 as the repair work continues.
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