The span is expected to be floated in at about 1 a.m. Wednesday, an early start that's being dictated by tides and currents.

KITTERY, Maine (AP) _ The north span of the new Memorial Bridge connecting New Hampshire and Maine is getting ready for its big entrance.

The span is expected to be floated in at about 1 a.m. Wednesday. Stephen DelGrosso of contractor Archer Western tells the Portsmouth Herald  the tide and currents dictate that the float-in start early.

The move toward the Kittery side of the bridge would be completed by 8 a.m.

The barge Cape Cod - on which the north span is being built at the Port of New Hampshire - is expected to be moved through the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge on Tuesday afternoon, then be tied up on the downriver side awaiting the float-in.

The new Memorial Bridge connecting Portsmouth and Kittery is scheduled to open to traffic this summer.