Posted on 02/09/2018 10:31:10 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
It seems weary commuters will have to wait four more months before they can start using the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge between Portsmouth and Kittery, Maine.
The lift-span bridge will now be open to traffic in mid-May, eight months after cars were supposed to start using it to cross the Piscataqua River, according to an updated construction schedule from Cianbro, the Pittsfield-based construction company hired by the state of Maine to build the bridge.
Cianbro spokesman Alan Grover did not return a interview request Tuesday to explain why bridge construction has been delayed.
Cianbro started construction on the $160 million bridge in 2015 to replace an aging lift span. It is one of the most expensive bridge construction projects in state history.
The old bridge was closed permanently in August 2016, after the lift span was stuck in the upright position. It was demolished two months later.
Drivers who typically use the bridge have been detoured onto Interstate 95 since its closure. About 15,000 vehicles used the bridge daily before it was closed.
(Excerpt) Read more at sentinelsource.com ...
I remember crossing that bridge with my parents 50+ years ago. Toll used to be a dime.
Reminds me of the bridge crossing Mingo Creek on Admiral at the Traffic circle in Tulsa Oklahoma forty three years ago.
They tore the span out, spent months working on it, traffic detoured through neighborhoods, then they finished it!
YEA! Then someone looked at the blueprints and went...Uh-ho.
They forgot something important. Bridge closed again, tore out. Before it was finished the area was hit with the Memorial Day Flood. It was finally finished but many businesses closed as a result of the delays and flood.
Heavy construction always takes longer than estimated and costs more than estimated. Especially when the government is involved.
Been a long time to use this bridge.
I looked at pictures. Are there two levels of roadway?
One image I saw showed RR track on the lower level, motor vehicle roadway on the upper.
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