KEENE, NH – Traffic in the City of Keene is flowing normally as of 1:30 Thursday afternoon after crews delivered steel girders to Island Street.

Six 145-foot long girders for the Island Street Bridge project were moved from the staging area along Route 9 in Keene prompting various traffic impacts to allow the trucks to move through safely.

City Engineer Don Lussier expected traffic stops to last for up to 20 minutes at a time and said that while he understood it was an inconvenience for drivers, it was a critical milestone for the project as it draws closure to completion.

The work was expected to wrap up by 4:00 Thursday afternoon, but Lussier says the operation went smoothly.

“…as of 1:30 all of the girders have been set in place and traffic controls have been released,” Lussier told WKBK in an email Thursday afternoon. “The work went much smoother than expected!”

The project has been delayed a couple of times due to workforce and supply shortages. It’s expected to be completed in March.