NH and Maine Officials Argue Over Bridge

Memorial Bridge, a gateway between New Hampshire and Maine, needs to be fixed. But the New Hampshire and Maine Departments of Transportation are having trouble agreeing on what needs to be done. A New Hampshire proposal involved a partial repair now and partial later, but Maine isn't convinced.

Cole said the Maine DOT currently can't support accepting the bid because data about repair work versus costs raised questions about whether it would be more cost-effective to rehabilitate the entire bridge, in effect producing a new structure that could have a 100-year lifespan.

"We owe it to the taxpayers to get the best life-cycle value that we can," said Cole. In an earlier interview with the Herald, N.H. DOT project manager Bob Landry said it appeared that the Maine DOT was leaning heavily in the direction of an entire bridge rehabilitation.

Both sides say they are committed to having a functional bridge in that important spot.