PORTSMOUTH — The 4 million-pound center lift span for a new Sara Mildred Long Bridge is scheduled to be floated up the Piscataqua River Wednesday morning, then set in place with the rising tide.
The float-in will be a final step toward completion of the new bridge, which will move traffic over the river on the Route 1 Bypass.
After 76 years of use, the former bridge was closed in August 2016 due to mechanical failure and the cited high cost to repair it amid construction of a replacement bridge. At the time of the closure, New Hampshire Department of Transportation officials said 14,000 vehicles crossed the red-listed bridge daily.
Maritime traffic on the river, within a 300-yard radius of the bridge, has been closed this week in preparation for the float-in.