*Update* RIP Sarah Mildred Long Bridge

After 76 years of service, the bridge is closed forever.

The bridge had a good run for 76 years, most recently carrying upwards of 14,000 vehicles daily over the Piscataqua River.

The decision to close the bridge that carried traffic between Portsmouth and Kittery for all these years was announced after both the NHDOT and Maine's DOT estimated the cost to repair the bridge would be close to $1 million.

Repairs to the structure would take more than six weeks, and with the bridge scheduled to be closed for good on November 1, it didn't seem to make sense.

The new Rt.1 bypass bridge is scheduled to be open to traffic in September 2017.

RIP Sarah Mildred Long bridge.