The main structural steel girders that will connect the Newington and Dover halves of the new Little Bay Bridge on the Spaulding Turnpike are scheduled to be “floated in” by barge and erected on Tuesday, April 17, 2012.

The four, 155-foot long, steel girders will be floated into place, connected to cables suspended from the steel above, and jacked vertically to align with the steel girders already in place. The total weight of the lift is approximately 400,000 pounds.

This operation will begin around 11:00 am, and is expected to be completed within four to eight hours. The US Coast Guard will be enforcing a navigational closure during this operation, preventing all marine traffic from passing under the bridge until the steel girders are securely in place.

In the event of inclement weather, this operation will take place the following day (April 18).

Construction of a new four-lane bridge, in addition to the rehabilitation of the existing Little Bay Bridge, will double the traffic capacity and improve safety along this section of the Spaulding Turnpike. Cianbro Corporation of Pittsfield, Maine is the general contractor for the $50.3 million project, which has a completion date of November 2013.