Memorial Bridge Opening Up in the Air

On Wednesday afternoon, New Hampshire Department of Transportation officials were cautiously optimistic they would still hold a Memorial Bridge opening ceremony on Aug. 8, but a final decision will not be made until Thursday morning.
William Boynton, the public information officer for the state transportation agency, wrote in an e-mail they will know better on Thursday based on the repair progress made on the burned out traffic gate motors when they can realistically open the new $89.4 million span. The two motors burned out during testing last weekend and an out of state subcontractor that installed the motors was working with Archer Western Contractors and the state agency to repair the problem.
"We are still tentatively set for August 8 for a ceremony, but I believe a decision will be made tomorrow based upon construction progress whether to stick with that date or postpone the celebration to a later time," Boynton wrote. "We do not want to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a bridge that is not ready to open."  
On Wednesday, Boynton said work was being done to replace transmissions associated with the gates that malfunctioned during testing last weekend. He said that work will be followed by final acceptance testing and hands-on operator training.