Kittery - The Piscataqua River, in the vicinity of the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge in Portsmouth, NH, will be closed to all marine traffic for a 7-day period from 9:00 a.m. on October 10, 2016 to approximately 9:00 p.m. on October 16, 2016.
The river closure will enable the Maine Department of Transportation and Cianbro Construction to remove the existing lift span and is necessary to provide for the safety of all waterway users and construction workers during the operation.
The Coast Guard will enforce a Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) that encompasses all navigable waters on the Piscataqua River, surface to bottom, in the vicinity of the Sarah M. Long Bridge construction zone. The RNA is effective within a 300-yard radius of position 43? 05' 1011 N, 070? 45' 38" W, between Portsmouth, NH and Kittery, ME. The required heavy-lift operations are sensitive to water surface movement and passing vessels could pose a significant risk to construction workers.
In order to minimize these risks, the RNA will prohibit vessels from operating in the vicinity of the bridge construction zone for a 7-day period during the removal of the center lift span of the bridge.
You can view the entire RNA at http://www.regulations.gov; type "USCG-2014-0554? in the search box.
After the MaineDOT successfully removes the center lift span, the Piscataqua River will be open to all vessel traffic. However, the existing RNA that implements a 5 knot speed limit and no wake zone in the vicinity of the project will remain in effect until the entire construction project is complete.
Questions regarding the closure should be addressed to Lieutenant David Bourbeau at (207) 347-5015 or david.t.bourbeau@uscg.mil.