MEXICO - Coburn Avenue between Mexico and Dixfield will be getting a new bridge this year over the Webb River.

At their Wednesday night meeting, the Board of Selectmen unanimously voted to buy a 90-foot-long Bay State bridge for $110,000 rather than let the Maine Department of Transportation buy it only to stockpile as inventory.

Now, the only question is if Dixfield will pay for its share of the bridge since the town lines of both Mexico and Dixfield meet at the halfway point over the river.

"I already gave (Dixfield Town Manager) Tom Richmond a heads up on it that we can save $60,000...but I got the sense that Dixfield doesn't want anything to do with it," Mexico Town Manager John Madigan said.

"But half of it is on the Mexico line and half of it is on the Dixfield line, so they're legally responsible."

The discussion came about two hours into the meeting, long after selectmen listened to a presentation by engineer A. E. Hodsdon regarding a proposed three-phase road reconstruction project for the Swett Avenue area.

They left it up in the air, however, whether or not to postpone the Swett Avenue project - estimated at $600,000 over three years - and instead, do the bridge work and other town roads.

At issue, according to Mexico fire Chief Gary Wentzell, is 5,000 acres of woods and fields that could catch fire and not be extinguished because there is currently no way for firetrucks from either town to access the 6-mile-long by 1-mile-wide area.

"Something's got to be done," Wentzell said. "Tomorrow, there will be an extreme high fire danger there...and people are paying for fire protection in there and we can't get down Partridge Lane or across the (Coburn Avenue) bridge. If those fields catch fire, the only way to fight it will be with one helicopter. Something has to be done."

Since late last fall, Madigan has worked with property owners in the area to purchase easements that would enable the town to rework a road in on the Mexico side of the Webb River, but not everyone has signed off on it.

That's why he suggested buying the bridge from Lawrence, Mass., for the offered price of $110,000.

"We could buy the bridge tomorrow - it's $110,000 plus $8,000 to ship it up here - and drop the land-buying route," Madigan said.

Road Commissioner David Errington said it costs $155,000 for a 72-foot-long bridge, which is the current span length on Coburn Avenue between the two towns.

He also said he would check with the MDOT on Thursday to learn what their price estimate is for abutments needed for the new bridge.