The state government of New Hampshire has called on the US federal government to act quickly on a recommendation to evaluate the risk of collapse following a collision to Portsmouth Memorial Bridge.

In March, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended that 30 bridge owners assess 68 bridges for vulnerability to vessel strikes (link opens in new tab).

Portsmouth Memorial Bridge is a 367m gussetless truss bridge with a vertical lifting span. The crossing, which carries traffic across the Piscataqua river between Portsmouth and Kittery, Maine opened in 1923, and the structure was replaced in 2013. It was struck in 2014, and again in 2024. It was the only bridge in Maine and New Hampshire that was named in the recommendation.

In a letter, New Hampshire politicians urged the Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) to work the with the state’s department of transportation (NHDOT), the US Coast Guard and the Army Corps in responding to the NTSB’s recommendations.