bridge celebration

A few weeks back I saw a notice for a bridge walk celebration on the new Sarah Mildred Long Bridge. I blocked the time on my calendar, planning to take advantage of the celebration to walk on a bridge that normally doesn't allow pedestrians.

Yesterday dawned with clear blue skies, a good day for a celebration. I headed to Portsmouth early. I had plenty of time to walk the bridge and to talk to others (people and dogs on leashes too) enjoying a morning on the bridge before the scheduled speeches started. While I initially thought about going only to walk on the bridge, I stayed for the speeches. The speakers included Senators Susan Collins (of Maine) and Maggie Hassan (of New Hampshire). It was interesting to hear from both of them.

I was fascinated to see the surface of the lift section of the bridge. The bridge serves both as a transit point for motor vehicles and as a means for trains to enter the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The lift section has a set of railroad tracks between the two driving lanes. When a train needs passage, the bridge is lowered to connect to the railroad tracks that are much lower than the road deck. The bridge deck sits much higher than the deck did on the old bridge; it is estimated that the new bridge will need to be lifted 65% fewer times than the old bridge. Amazing!

I looked through the expansion joint to see the (connecting) railroad tracks far below.

a view of the bridge from the Portsmouth side


looking up at the lift towers

It's a beautiful bridge.

More photos of the bridge can be seen in the gallery new Sarah Mildred Long Bridge.