As the new Sarah Mildred Long Bridge nears opening, focus will begin to shift to the third and final Piscataqua River Bridge project: the rehabilitation of the high-level Interstate 95 bridge.
It would complete a 2011 memorandum of understanding between Maine and New Hampshire, which co-own the bridges that connect the two states. Replacing Memorial Bridge was first, which opened in 2013. The second, the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge, is under construction and expected to open in November, but its planned opening has already been delayed. NHDOT was lead on the Memorial Bridge project, and MDOT is lead on the Sarah Long and Piscataqua River bridge projects.
The Piscataqua River Bridge, known locally as the “High Level” bridge, opened in 1972 as part of the Interstate Highway System.
Maine transportation officials consider the I-95 bridge the most important bridge for the Pine Tree State’s overall economy, according to the memorandum of understanding, because of how much traffic enters and exits the state via the bridge. Though the work could be completed in a much shorter time, the project is estimated to take two to three years as the main focus is to conduct the rehabilitation during non-summer, off-peak travel times.
Early estimates put the project’s price tag at around $21.5 million, which the states will split. Transportation officials are working on determining a final cost in the coming weeks. Included in the project is removal of the travel surface and the membrane underneath to make repairs to the concrete road deck. Afterward, a new membrane will be installed to keep water from reaching the concrete and the travel surface will be replaced, making driving over the bridge a much smoother experience than it is. The project is expected to be put out to bid in February 2018, with work that doesn’t affect traffic slated to start that summer.
MDOT is also evaluating adding a travel lane on the shoulder in each direction to the bridge for peak travel times, known in the industry as “hard-shoulder running.” This would also require the addition of variable speed limit signs, changeable message signs and lane open signs so drivers would know when the shoulder was open to traffic.
Whether it will be included in the current project is still being decided, which is dependent on the overall rehab cost. It could also be a future project.
Traffic bottlenecking on I-95 from the York, Maine, tollbooth to the Hampton tollbooth has increased over the years and drew greater concerns this summer, particularly during the Fourth of July holiday.
The Piscataqua River Bridge sits essentially in the middle of the clogged stretch of interstate.
Ongoing construction of the new Long Bridge worsened matters over the Fourth of July holiday, during which traffic was heightened as the holiday fell on a Tuesday and many people took advantage of a long weekend to travel to the New Hampshire Seacoast and farther north into Maine.
Traffic clogged on I-95 going across the Piscataqua River Bridge, leading many motorists to use traffic-dodging apps, such as Waze, which in turn created congestion on Portsmouth’s streets on the Saturday of the holiday stretch.
The gridlock put an enormous burden on major city roads in Portsmouth, causing delays of a half-hour or longer, according to Portsmouth Police Chief Robert Merner.
“This was kind of a perfect storm because you almost have a five-day holiday weekend and everyone traveling was probably thinking, ‘I’ll leave Saturday and I won’t get caught up in everything on Friday,’” said Merner on the Fourth of July. “There’s no question most drivers are using various GPS apps to reroute them around traffic but then that area becomes a problem.”
The heavy traffic past the I-95 bridge also affected Kittery’s roads, leading the Town Council to consider passing an emergency ordinance to curtail through-traffic in Kittery’s residential neighborhoods. The council opted against the ordinance.
NHDOT spokesman Bill Boynton said the July 4 holiday is one of the “big four” for traffic volume, with the others being Memorial, Labor and Columbus days. Other than the possible use of breakdown lanes on the Piscataqua River Bridge, there are no plans to widen those state roads, Boynton said.
David Scott, the in-house design chief for NHDOT, said in April the project is less of a preservation project and more of a traffic control project.
“It’s traffic that is driving so many aspects of this project,” he said.
In April, the two states’ DOTs conducted a two-part study: an annual bridge inspection headed by NHDOT, and a traffic study headed by MDOT. The traffic study’s final report is not due until early October. The study will estimate traffic impact of closing a lane or lanes of traffic during the rehabilitation.
NHDOT hired Hoyle, Tanner & Associates Inc. to perform the bridge inspection. The report confirmed what Scott said of the bridge’s condition in April: “The bridge is doing well. There are things that we want to do to keep it doing well.”
The inspection investigated the bridge’s “fracture critical member.” As the Federal Highway Administration defines, “A fracture critical member (FCM) is a steel member in tension, or with a tension element, whose failure would probably cause a portion of or the entire bridge to collapse.”
Hoyle, Tanner & Associates did not inspect all FCMs on the bridge this year. Instead, it focused on the FCM on the arch of the bridge. NHDOT had previously inspected the other FCM.
“There were no critical structural or hazard findings made during this inspection,” it states in the report submitted to NHDOT. It said the FCMs inspected “are considered to be in good condition. These members generally exhibit light to moderate rust and paint peeling on the interior surfaces and interior diaphragms.”
The maintenance and repair recommendations were minimal, such as clearing debris to reduce moisture, cleaning areas of existing rust and protecting areas with waterproof caulking as well as some touch-up painting.
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