The 1,175 ft long, 14-span structure, built in 1923, carries nearly 30,000 vehicles on Route 3 over the Merrimack River and a CSX railroad corridor.  The bridge that links Manchester’s east and west sides was reconstructed in 1992.

Meanwhile, 22 miles south of Manchester, a westbound lane on the Veterans Memorial Bridge in Hudson remains closed following a routine  state DOT inspection. It carries about 37,000 vehicles daily from Hudson to Nashua, also across that river.

The Veterans bridge inspection found a cracked girder, the Nashua Independent reports on the city’s Facebook page. Hudson officials say they expect to have the bridge fully operating in four to six weeks. Town Engineer Elvis Dhima told the New Hampshire Union Leader that Hudson officials called a special meeting to authorize emergency funds of about $100,000 for the bridge’s structural repair.

Manchester public works officials reported signs of rust buildup and a “potential crack” in a truss, WMUR reports. The department said the issues did not appear to be related to the nearby $360 million Cemetery Brook Drain Tunnel project or to any recent bridge repairs.

The stormwater tunnel project launched a 281-ton tunnel boring machine  on Aug. 31 on schedule, Ed Pietrasz, Parsons resident engineer, told ENR. The project has been “unaffected” by ongoing Queen City Bridge inspections, he added.

The two bridge closures come as the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed by President Joe Biden in 2021 is set to expire Sept. 30.  

Over its life from fiscal 2022 tthrough fiscal 2026, New Hampshire is set to receive a total of $225.million in bridge formula program funds that assist with necessary repairs. The program allows each state to set aside15% of its allotment to be reserved for “off system bridges” on public roads, according to the Federal /highway Administration. For bridges owned by a city, municipality, town or other local agency, the federal share can be 100%.

For the two municipally owned bridges in New Hampshire, the state DOT "works closely with the communities to provide expertise and guidance” for bridge repairs, said Jennifer Lane, department spokeswoman.  “We work with Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s office to consider any requests for financial assistance.”

Of the 2,549 bridges in New Hampshire, the state has rated 192, or 8%, as structurally deficient, but that is down from 194 in 2021 according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. The state ranks at No. 15 in the nation for the percentage of structurally deficient bridges, down from 18 in 2024.

But the association has identified 2,498 bridges in need of repair, up from 2,473 in 2021.

The recent Queen City Bridge inspection follows one in 2024 that reported multiple areas of corrosion and pitting, but no steel truss cracks.

Manchester bridge inspections occur every two years.