Crime & Safety

Black Ice and Crashes Close Sarah Long Bridge

NHSP: Bridge was closed for an hour due to accidents, slippery roadway; Piscataqua River Bridge also had icy conditions this morning.

PORTSMOUTH, NH - While most of us were sound asleep this morning, the New Hampshire State Police closed the Sarah Long Bridge for about an hour due to black ice road conditions and crashes, according to a report.

At around 5:30 a.m. on April 27, 2016, Troop A troopers were sent to “several motor vehicle accidents” on the bridge, according to Sgt. Keith Walker of the NHSP.

“Upon arrival, the responding troopers determined that the bridge was covered in black ice,” Walker noted.

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At just after 6 a.m., the bridge was closed to traffic and the New Hampshire Department of Transportation was requested to the scene to treat the roads. The bridge reopened at just after 6:30 a.m.

Troopers were also sent to several crashes on the Piscataqua River Bridge at around the same time although that roadway was not closed, according to Walker.

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“All of the accidents were minor in nature and did not result in any personal injury,” he noted.

The Portsmouth Police Department, the Kittery ME Police Department, the Maine State Police, and the NH DOT assisted NHSP troopers at the scene.

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