LISBON – Drivers using Route 196 in Lisbon Falls and Topsham should allow themselves some extra travel time Saturday, Aug. 23, according to the Maine Department of Transportation.

“We need to make a substantial repair to the deck of the Little River Bridge, which carries Route 196 over the Little River at the Topsham-Lisbon town line,” said Everett Barnard of MDOT’s Bridge Maintenance Section.

“We’ve been addressing the problem with emergency repairs every four to six weeks, but now it’s time for a more permanent solution.”

“We’ll be restricting the bridge to alternating one-way traffic from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday while we remove and replace a deteriorated section of the bridge deck,” Barnard said. “Even with fast-set concrete, we’ll need some time between the end of repairs and the reopening of the bridge to traffic. That’s why we’ve scheduled a 12-hour land restriction.”

“Drivers using that portion of Route 196 should expect delays near the bridge. We also would urge drivers to be especially careful passing through the work area because the area of the bridge we’ll be working on is very close to the center line of the roadway. It’s for the safety of drivers and their passengers as well as the safety of our workers,” he said.

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