Crews are inspecting the Memorial Bridge today after it had to be closed for a little more than an hour last night.
Department of Transportation spokesman Bill Bonyton says the extreme cold and harsh weather conditions affected the bridge’s lift.
“We continue to have problems with the span locks for the gates. But we have a new gate system coming in place, coming in next week that will be put in place and hopefully address some of the issues with the bridge malfunctioning.”
Boynton says three test lifts today have gone off with no issues.
He says the equipment lifts 1.2 million pounds 150 feet in the air, so working to address problems as they pop up with cold temperatures is not unexpected.
The new Memorial Bridge, connecting Portsmouth with Kittery, Maine, was opened in August.
