Community Corner
DOT Chief: Memorial Bridge Likely Open in a Week
Ribbon-cutting ceremony is Aug. 15, but $89 million span will likely open in days.
New Hampshire Department of Transportation Commissioner Chris Clement was asked by the Executive Council on July 24 in Portsmouth when the new Memorial Bridge would open.
"I suspect," Clement said, "within the next week it will be open."
The state has scheduled an Aug. 15 ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the $89 million lift bridge connecting Portsmouth to Kittery, Maine.
Contractors resolved issues with the bridge's counter weights, and have since moved on to test drives and pulleys, Clement said.
The bridge was originally scheduled to be open to vehicular traffic around Independence Day, then pushed back to July 10 and then July 19. The contractor, Archer Western, must pay the state a penalty of $25,000 for every day it goes beyond the project completion date, according to the contract.
Clement addressed the Executive Council and Gov. Maggie Hassan at a meeting July 24 at the Urban Forestry Center in Portsmouth.
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