Executive Council OKs $4m to settle Sarah Long Bridge dispute

Total of $9.5m to bring an end to fight over 7-month construction delay

August 28, 2019

Jeff Feingold,

New Hampshire’s Executive Council has approved payment of $4 million to settle a long-running dispute over delays in the construction and opening of the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge, which links Portsmouth with Kittery, Maine.

The payment is part of a total $9.5 million reached between the New Hampshire and Maine and the construction firm that built the bridge, Cianbro. Maine will pay the remaining amount.

The bridge, which opened in March 2018 – seven months behind schedule – cost some $181.2 million to build. That includes about $4.5 million in costs related to the delays.

Under the settlement, the states will pay a total of $9.5 million to cover that cost overruns as well as a recently negotiated $5 million settlement with Cianbro. The company had sought $16.9 million to cover those higher costs, according to Portland Press Herald.

Cianbro claimed the delays were related to design deficiencies.

Categories: Government, Real Estate & Construction

More news from NHBR:

NH seafood is worth the investment

When most people think about New Hampshire’s seafood industry, they picture the quintessential fishing village with commercial boats landing lobster or cod.

NHBR About Town: Week of September 11, 2026

Business and event happenings around the state of NH

The Latest: Week of September 11, 2026

The Latest is a roundup of the comings and goings of the movers and shakers in NH's business community

The drive no one should have to make — and the effort underway to end it

If you live in Manchester or Concord, you probably don’t think twice about finding a doctor. There is a specialist within a few miles for almost anything you need. But if you live in Colebrook, or Lancaster, or any one of dozens of small communities spread across New Hampshire’s North Country, the picture looks very different, and the gap between those two realities is wider than most people realize.

Laser eye surgery and cataract surgery return to Berlin after years without local access

Androscoggin Valley Hospital (AVH), a member of North Country Healthcare in Berlin, performed its first cataract surgery in recent memory on August 20, 2026, a milestone made possible through the hospital’s partnership with North Country Ophthalmology, a physician-led alliance of board-certified MD ophthalmologists that began seeing patients at AVH in January.

Jaffrey couple cut energy costs with NHSaves

Evan Clements and Precia Harthcock of Jaffrey love their 1926 home, but they acknowledge the drawbacks of houses built in that era. The room that is now their sitting room, for example, was once a porch that had been enclosed and is noticeably colder than other parts of the house. The second floor was much hotter than the first floor, and their kitchen was drafty.

Consider ESOP planning as part of your wealth management

After years of building a business, it is common for owners to seek an exit strategy that preserves the culture and rewards the employees who helped make the business successful. An employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP, is one way to accomplish that goal.