OTISFIELD – Officials in two towns are hoping they can fund the necessary repairs to a bridge joining their communities.

The Scribner’s Mill bridge crosses the Crooked River, which is the boundary between Harrison and Otisfield. The 73-year-old bridge connects Scribner’s Mill Road in Harrison with Jesse Mill Road in Otisfield.

Speaking to Otisfield selectmen Wednesday, Harrison Town Manager Brad Plante said the Maine Department of Transportation informed him in June that an examination of the bridge had found various deficiencies.

Plante said there is no immediate threat that the bridge will close, but it could occur in the future. In a letter to the municipal officers of Harrison, assistant bridge management engineer Benjamin Foster writes that the DOT will close the bridge if its condition reaches a point where it is unsafe for traffic.

The bridge, which was built in 1936, has an open grate steel deck on concrete-capped stone abutments and is rated for six tons. The DOT determined that parts of the bridge are deteriorating, areas of the deck are not welded down, bearings need to be cleaned and painted, and there are no signs on the roads warning of the bridge ahead.

Plante said it would cost approximately $85,000 to fix the bridge, though the estimate was given in October of 2008 and may have increased since.

Plante said he considered adding a budget item to the annual town meeting appropriating funds toward the bridge’s repair. However, he did not believe the article could pass since the announcement that SAD 17 will see an $800,000 cut in state funding.

“Four days ago I thought I might be able to sell this. Not now,” he said.

Plante said the town has also sought cost sharing from the state or federal stimulus funds. James Foster, a DOT bridge management engineer, told the towns in a letter sent March 27 that cost sharing is only available in “major rehabilitation or full bridge replacement” projects, or areas where bridge restrictions could cause “significant economic or social impact.”

Foster also says that the stimulus funds have been planned for “several shovel-ready bridge projects” and funds were unavailable for cost sharing with local projects due to scheduling requirements.

Plante said that the roads are not heavily traveled, but some residents would likely be upset if the bridge was closed. He has also argued that the bridge is necessary for public safety reasons.

In addition to residences on the roads, a historic sawmill open to the public is near the bridge in Harrison.

Chairman Hal Ferguson of the Otisfield selectmen said the boards should tour the site once the melting snow makes it more accessible.

Plante said a Harrison selectman has suggested establishing a fund that would go toward the repair of the bridge.

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