Repairs For Bridge Linking NH, Maine Estimated At $2.5 Million
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (CBS) - The total figure for damage to the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge is estimated at $2.5 million, according to the N.H. Department of Transportation.
Cianbro, a private contractor based in Pittsfield, Maine, will be performing repairs on the bridge, which sustained structural damage Monday, when an oil tanker hit the span after becoming dislodged from its mooring.
Cianbro has begun working on steel fabrication and staging, N.H. DOT spokesman Bill Boynton said in a statement Thursday.
Inspection work has been completed for now, Boynton said, adding state officials are confident the Long Bridge can be repaired and reopened.
Original detailed fabrication drawings of the Long Bridge, dating back to the late 1930s, have been obtained from the company involved with the span's construction, Harrington & Cortelyou/BMcD Inc. of Kansas City, Mo. The drawings will help expedite steel fabrication and the repairs, Boynton said.
The Long Bridge connects Portsmouth and Kittery, Maine. The Memorial Bridge, which also connects the two communities, is under reconstruction and is not expected to open until July.
