It is hoped the effect on traffic will be minimal.

JAY – The Maine Department of Transportation plans to replace an aging bridge on Riley Road near International Paper.

It is starting preliminary design work for the future replacement of Allen Brook Bridge, which is a 10-foot diameter steel pipe beneath a deep fill that was built in 1966.

The bridge is in poor condition and considered structurally deficient, said DOT project manager Ben Foster.

The preliminary design work would help the department estimate the cost and scope of the project, he said.

They’re hoping to take another pipe and slide it through existing one so that little or no excavation work would need to be done, he said.

That way one-lane of alternating traffic could travel on the road.

If they have to excavate it would increase the cost and impact traffic, he said.

The road would have to be closed while the repairs are done, Foster said.

Preliminary engineering is tentatively scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2005 with construction tentatively scheduled for the summer of 2006.

Any inquiries or comment may be directed to the attention of Foster, Maine Department of Transportation, Bridge Program, 16 State House Station, Augusta, ME, 04333-0016, or call 624-2423.

Copy the Story Link