Sarah Long Bridge Project Meeting Happening Tonight

Portsmouth area residents who want to learn more about the $172 million new Sarah Mildred Long Bridge project will have their opportunity this evening in Kittery, Maine.

The Maine Department of Transportation will hold a public meeting at the Community Center at Frisbee Commons on Thursday night at 6 p.m. where state agency representatives will answer questions about the project and hear residents' concerns.

Currently, Maine has provided half of the funding for the new span and New Hampshire lawmakers still have to provide the other half of the funding, according to Bill Boynton, public information officer for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation.

Joyce Taylor, the Maine DOT's bureau director of projects in Augusta, Maine, previously said state planners hope to begin the project in 2014 and be completed by 2017. But the pressure to replace the span has been greater in recent weeks following the last shut down that was caused when the Harbour Feature tanker slammed into the bridge on April 1 and caused more than $2.5 million of structural damage that was repaired.

Currently, the state agency has selected the design firm Figg Engineering of Harrisburg, Pa., for the project.

The project to replace the current 72-year-old bridge that carries traffic over the Piscataqua on the Route One Bypass is a joint effort between the Maine and New Hampshire departments of transportation. New Hampshire DOT officials were able to reach an agreement with Maine DOT officials in May to go with a design that calls for a wider span so larger ships can navigate it. The new bridge is scheduled to be completed in 2017.

This year and in 2012 the bridge has been forced to shut down a few times because of mechanical issues with the lift span. New guard rails were also installed because of safety concerns.