LEWISTON – Compared to the destruction in Minneapolis, bridge problems in the Twin Cities in recent decades have been mild.

On Feb. 13, 1996, a man driving from Auburn to Lewiston had to negotiate around what appeared to be a drop on the South Bridge. A drop off is exactly what it was – a concrete support beneath the 59-year-old bridge had given out, heaving the bridge deck a foot into the air.

That man swerved around the damage but another couple driving across the bridge was slightly less fortunate. Their car bottomed out before they could make it to safety on the other side.

After that, there was no traffic at all across the South Bridge for two months. The span remained closed until April and cost approximately $200,000 to repair.

In that time, traffic on both sides of the Androscoggin River remained snarled as motorists competed for alternative routes across the river from one city to the other.

General aging was blamed for the collapsed bridge support. No serious injuries resulted.

In 1997, traffic was again a problem in the Twin Cities while crews removed three and a half inches of concrete surface from the James B. Longley Memorial Bridge. Those repairs were deemed necessary because of damage to the bridge surface caused by road salt and sand.

Between May and August of that year, the Longley Bridge, one of the most heavily traveled bridges in the county, remained closed or partially closed. The good news was that the project was completed two months ahead of schedule.