BANGOR (AP) – Cables supporting the Waldo-Hancock Bridge have been shored up enough to allow buses and trucks to again cross the span between Prospect and Verona, the Maine Department of Transportation announced.

The decision reopens a major gateway to Down East Maine for heavy vehicles and ends a 40-mile detour to Bangor that trucks and buses have had to take since July.

“The community – and especially the commercial vehicles who have been most affected – have been remarkably patient and understanding in view of the inconvenience they have suffered,” Transportation Commissioner David Cole said.

The decision to reopen the suspension bridge on U.S. Route 1 was made after the installation of 16 new supporting cables and an independent engineering evaluation that indicated that the project was a “complete success.”

The new cables were designed to bring the bridge back to an 80,000-pound limit.

The DOT closed the bridge over the Penobscot River to heavy trucks and buses weighing more than 24,000 pounds after discovering extensive deterioration to its two main cables in July.

The bridge was dedicated in 1932.

In the recent restoration, Cianbro Corp. completed the installation of new cables in less than two months, wrapping up several days ahead of schedule.

“Our goal was to get the bridge strengthened before cold weather set in, and Cianbro really pulled out all the stops to make this happen,” Cole said.

More work remains to be done before the bridge will be opened full-time to two-way traffic, officials said. DOT engineers estimate that the work will be completed by early December at the latest.

The DOT plans to build a new $50 million bridge before spending an additional $15 million to demolish the existing bridge. Federal and state officials are trying to find a way to pay for the project without having to cut other transportation projects in the state.

AP-ES-10-31-03 1800EST

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