OXFORD — The Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing Tuesday to discuss improvements to the Route 121 bridge over the Little Androscoggin River that could lead to replacing the bridge.

“It’s really an informational meeting to get the project started,” DOT Project Manager Steve Bodge said.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. April 3 at the Oxford Town Hall, 85 Pleasant St.

The bridge, which is located near the intersection of King Street and Route 121, has been placed on a two-year, state-wide bridge capital improvement plan.

While the bridge is considered to be in “pretty poor condition,” Bodge said, it is not considered unsafe now.

“It doesn’t mean we will instantly replace it,” Bodge said. It also does not mean that the bridge will be replaced. The project work could range from repairs to full bridge replacement. “People traveling across it don’t need to be concerned, but it needs to be looked at. It’s not unsafe by any stretch of the imagination.”

DOT officials will talk about the bridge and some “possible fixes” for it at the meeting on Tuesday, Bodge said. But the meeting is also to get feedback from residents who have information about it, such as historic flood conditions and traffic.

The hearing notification identified the bridge as the “Covered Bridge” although it is not a covered bridge.

“We have reason to believe there was a covered bridge at that location in the past. We’re not sure how far in the past, but probably back when it was named the Covered Bridge. We assumed it was covered,” Bodge said.

The project would go out to bid once all the preliminary work is completed. This is just the start of the process, he said.

ldixon@sunjournal.com

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