Politics & Government

Snow Causes Two Bridge Closures in Portsmouth

Both incidents were resolved within an hour or so.

The Memorial Bridge and the Sarah Long Bridge both experienced snow-related issues on Tuesday night.

William Boynton, New Hampshire Department of Transportation spokesman, said the Sarah Long Bridge did not seat properly due to the snow after a lift, which would not allow the barrier gates to be lifted. The operator had to lift the bridge again and clean the bearing area and reseat the bridge. The incident occurred at 8:39 p.m. and the bridge was closed for about 30 minutes.

Earlier in the evening, around 7:30 p.m., the Memorial Bridge had an issue with a barrier gate that would not lift. The contractor's electrician was called and the bridge reopened to traffic around 8:50 p.m. It is unclear at this point what caused the problem.

Boynton said both bridge malfunctions are believed to be related to the snowstorm.

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