VERONA ISLAND (AP) – The new $85-million Penobscot Narrows Bridge opened to traffic on Saturday in a ceremony that also marked the closure of the landmark Waldo-Hancock Bridge.

The new bridge, which spans the Penobscot River from Prospect to Verona Island, was opened to vehicles shortly before 1:30 p.m. following a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the middle of the span. A convoy of fire trucks, other emergency response vehicles and a National Guard truck drove across the bridge, followed by private vehicles.

The bridge was more than three years in the making and replaces the Waldo-Hancock Bridge, which was erected in 1931.

In the summer of 2003, problems on the bridge’s two suspension cables became known while the bridge was being restored. Engineers later determined that building a new bridge was the only long-term solution.

The new structure is a cable-stayed bridge with two towers rising from the banks of the Penobscot River and a roadway held up by steel cables. It features a 420-foot glass-enclosed observation tower with commanding 360-degree views of Fort Knox, the Penobscot River and surrounding towns.

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