Travel Channel Films Memorial Bridge

Two weeks ago, the producers of the Travel Channel's show, "Off Limits," decided to feature the Memorial Bridge project in an upcoming program, and they spent all day Thursday shooting it.

Ed Wellington, one of the show's producers, said he and four other crew members, along with Off Limits executive producer and host Don Wildman, focused on the Portsmouth approach side of the bridge during the morning.

In the afternoon, they shifted gears and rode a bucket up to the top of the Portsmouth side tower to get up close and personal with one of the two 450-ton counterweights that Archer Western Contractors plans to remove Friday.

Wellington said the crew was simply blown away by the history of the bridge and the incredible beauty of Portsmouth from that vantage point. They also knew they had unbelievably warm weather for March in New Hampshire, as temperatures soared into the low 80's. The crew also arrived at the same time that Archer Western Contractors moved the 500-ton barge crane from the Granite State Minerals dock where it was being repaired to the bridge.

"It was scary," said Wellington of the bucket ride to the top of the tower, "but it was a lot of fun."

The show really focuses on the inner workings of large-scale construction projects like the Memorial Bridge to show viewers just how much work goes into them, Wellington explained. Viewers and the show's production crew also gain a greater appreciation for the people who actually do those projects.

"It was a great experience to be with the guys who are actually making this happen," Wellington said.

Wellington said the Memorial Bridge show will probably air on the Travel Channel toward the end of the upcoming second season, which begins on April 17. He said there are 13 shows in a season, which means the episode could air sometime this summer.