Bridge Counterweights to be Removed

The removal of the 450-ton counterweights on the Memorial Bridge will happen sometime over the next two weeks, according to NH Department of Transportation officials.

Jennifer Zorn, a NH DOT public outreach coordinator, said the counterweight on the Portsmouth side of the bridge will be the first one to be removed sometime next week. She said the second counterweight on the Kittery, Maine, side of the bridge will be removed a week later.

Zorn said the 750-ton barge crane that will be used to remove the counterweights will arrive in Portsmouth when it is needed. She said Archer Western Contractors also plan to remove the remaining parts of the Memorial Bridge in April.

Meanwhile, Zorn said the bronze World War I veterans plaque located on the Portsmouth approach of the bridge will be removed sometime this week so it can be refurbished.