The approach span to the Memorial Bridge stands now as rubble next to the former site of the Pier II Restaurant.  The North Tower can be seen without its counterweight in the distance.

It’s funny how foreign the remaining parts of the Memorial Bridge now look in the midst of the Piscataqua River.  With the South Tower, the lift span, and the Portsmouth approach gone from the scene, the remaining tower and abutment look distinctly out of place and completely functionless.

Progress on the deconstruction of the Memorial Bridge is swift.  I left work not expecting to see much different, but sure enough – the south span of the Memorial Bridge had been cut from the approach in Portsmouth and was waiting for its final departure down to a scrap yard outside of Boston.  I’m getting more excited to see things change, and to see the new bridge come to life.

Today’s post is a memorial to the South Tower of the Memorial Bridge, which has since been cut to half its height, and will no longer exist in a matter of hours.  The sky on the evening that this particular image was taken was very airy and cloudy, but I decided to give this shot a more somber processing to reflect the tower’s numbered days.

I was processing the adrenaline of the pressure to get some good shots and also wanted to capture the moment with video. What a great way to end the night!

This previously impossible shot was taken on the decking of the Memorial Bridge.  With the recent closure of the bridge, I was able to head over this weekend…which I did at sunrise on Saturday morning.  More shots to follow throughout the week with a view of the bridge from a few spots at Prescott Park.  With its recent closure of 4-6 weeks, which is more likely to be an indefinite closing followed by a definite replacement, it’s given a new sense of urgency to capturing it as it stands bridging New Hampshire and Maine.  Look forward to new posts this week with some vibrant colors to accompany the deteriorating bridge.

It’s close to the end for the Memorial Bridge – or so it seems.  It was announced this week that the bridge would be closed for 4-6 weeks for repair, or even indefinitely according to Foster’s. I don’t think this surprises anyone ’round these parts, but it’s sort of a sad moment. Things will get better and the bridge will eventually be replaced with either a very similar looking one, or a drastic departure if some of the initial design critics get their way. One thing is sure, this original lift span bridge with all of its character isn’t really safe for vehicles anymore. It’s going to be damn cool for photographers and pedestrians to enjoy its architecture and some steady decks for a while (you can’t get a sharp image with dozens of cars driving through).