AP (file)

A breakaway chunk from the Memorial Bridge between Maine and Hampshire may have sharpened residents’ focus on the bridge. But it won’t change the timetable for action.

Captain Bob Hassold was leading a tugboat cruise when he saw a large piece of rusty metal fall into the Piscataqua River on Monday.

He says it hit with a splash about 50 feet from his boat.

Hassold says the bridge is “falling apart.”

Maine and New Hampshire officials insist Memorial Bridge between Kittery and Portsmouth is safe, even though New Hampshire wants to replace it as soon as possible.

No decision will be made until after both states receive a consultant’s report two weeks from now.