PORTSMOUTH — The Sarah Mildred Long Bridge is stuck.

PORTSMOUTH — The Sarah Mildred Long Bridge is stuck.



The state’s number one red-listed bridge got stuck about a foot from its normal position Wednesday around 1:40 p.m. while workers were conducting a routine “cold weather” lift exercise.



“It’s askew,” said N.H. Department of Transportation spokesman Bill Boynton. “It didn’t go level down.”



The bridge, which connects Portsmouth and Kittery, Maine, on the Route 1 Bypass, was immediately closed to vehicular traffic and has remained that way since.



Boynton said an inspection of the bridge showed damage to the track in which the bridge runs.



“Basically there’s some other damage associated with the lift portion of the bridge,” he said.



Boynton said top bridge maintenance officials, as well as New Hampshire Transportation Commissioner Chris Clement, visited the bridge on Wednesday afternoon.



Bridge maintenance personnel assessed the damage and have come up with a plan to fix the bridge, said Boynton.



Because of the cold weather, Boynton said the decision was made to mobilize equipment Wednesday night and prepare to make repairs early Thursday morning.



“We’re hopeful that repairs will be complete and bridge will be restored to full operation within one to two days,” he said.



Crews are expected to make repairs to tracks on both the New Hampshire and Maine side of the bridge.



“Work involves cutting away some damaged pieces and then trying to work the span back into place,” Boynton said.



With the new Memorial Bridge under construction, the Sarah Long was prior to Wednesday one of two bridges connecting Portsmouth and Kittery.



Now, the Piscataqua River Bridge on Interstate 95 is the only bridge open to traffic.



Motorists traveling along the Route 1 Bypass are currently being redirected to the I-95 bridge.



Boynton said transportation officials are also monitoring the effect the bridge closure has on the Piscataqua River Bridge.



“Surely that puts a lot of additional traffic on the high-level bridge,” he said.



The Sarah Long bridge has been closed for various reason over the years.



Everything from malfunctioning gates to lightning strikes have forced officials to close the bridge within the last year alone.



“The bridge dates back to the 1940s and lifts hundreds of times a year,” he said. “It can be everything from computer to electrical problems. Sometimes it’s an easy fix, sometimes it involves something more.”



The unexpected closure of the bridge comes only a day before officials were expected to meet to discuss its replacement.



The Long Bridge stakeholders committee is expected to meet Thursday, Jan. 24 at 3:30 p.m. at Kittery Town Hall to discuss replacement options.



This will be the second meeting of the committee, which was formed to give the state local input into the bridge design and construction process.



To date, little has been confirmed about the new bridge. The cost is set not to exceed $170 million.