The Piscataqua River Bridge will be rehabilitated in a project that will take two, maybe three, years to complete.
The bridge carries I-95 between Kittery and Portsmouth. Maine Transportation Department spokesman Ted Talbot says high traffic volumes have taken their toll.
"Upwards of 65 percent of our gross domestic product travels over that bridge," Talbot says. "So, for the state of Maine, it's very critical."
The work is to begin next year. Talbot says crews will remove the travel surface, a membrane underneath that, and make repairs to the concreted deck of the bridge.
Talbot says work will be scheduled away from peak travel hours, but will still require some lane shifting and closures during the work. The cost of the $21.5 million project will be shared by Maine and New Hampshire. Talbot says there will also be some federal funding.
