PORTSMOUTH - Workers raised the lift span of the Sarah Long Bridge on Saturday evening to allow for passage of waiting ship traffic on the Piscataqua River.

"The bridge was successfully raised at 6:40 and almost immediately a boat went through," said Bill Boynton, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation. "There was a line of ships that were waiting."

The bridge will remain up until 2 p.m. Sunday, when more tests will be conducted.

The state hopes motor vehicle traffic will be able to move across the bridge, part of the Route 1 Bypass, on Monday, he said.

The bridge had been lifted Wednesday as a cold weather exercise and became out of alignment when it was lowered.

Traffic has been rerouted around the bridge to the Interstate 95 bridge.