Tanker collision closes Maine-N.H. bridge
The Sarah Mildred Long Bridge between Maine and New Hampshire will be closed for several days after a 470-foot oil tanker came unmoored and hit the bridge Monday afternoon.
The Portland Press Herald reported that the collision damaged bridge supports and left a 20-foot dent in the ship, the Harbour Feature, but none of the tallow oil aboard the ship was spilled.
The boat has been restored to its mooring nearby, according to the ship tracking service MarineTraffic.com, but crews were scheduled to continue examining the bridge for damage through Tuesday.
New Hampshire's Department of Transportation Commissioner Chris Clement told the paper that the ship's owners will be responsible for the bridge's repair costs, which have not been fully estimated.
How the ship became unmoored was unknown Tuesday morning. The ship was being refueled before it snapped its moorings and drifted upstream with the tidal current.
The closure leaves the I-95 bridge as the only way for traffic to travel between Maine and New Hampshire since the nearby Memorial Bridge is under construction.
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