PROSPECT (AP) – Heavier trucks will soon get the green light to cross the Waldo-Hancock Bridge over the Penobscot River.
The Maine Transportation Department said the present 80,000-pound limit will rise to 100,000 pounds as of Dec. 5. The change follows protests by truckers who had been barred from the bridge and forced to take a fuel-consuming detour.
Trucks and buses over 24,000 pounds were diverted from the bridge in mid-2003 when supporting cables were found to be deficient. After extra supporting cables were installed, trucks up to 80,000 pounds were allowed back on the span, which connects Prospect and Verona Island.
Now that the supplemental cables have performed flawlessly for two winters and structural steel and deck repairs have been completed, the bridge is considered safe to carry 100,000-pound vehicles, DOT Assistant Chief Engineer Chip Getchell said.
The reinforced bridge, which first opened to traffic in 1931, is to be replaced next year by a new span joining Prospect and Verona Island.
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