Mexico-Peru bridge inspection begins Monday; trucks rerouted

MEXICO — For three days next week, heavy truck traffic will not be allowed to cross the Androscoggin River bridge between Mexico and Peru while it’s inspected.

The Maine Department of Transportation will conduct a biennial inspection of the bridge from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, Aug. 4-6, Ted Talbot, MDOT spokesman, said Friday.

There will be one lane of alternating one-way traffic for passenger vehicles only, because an under-bridge crane will be parked in one lane during the inspection, he said.

This inspection is part of a federal program to ensure the safety of the bridge. The nearly 600-foot-long bridge is posted at 25 tons. It was built in 1930.

Talbot said the MDOT would eventually like to replace the bridge, but that is dependent on the state winning a $7.66 million federal grant through the Transportation Investment-Generating Economic Recovery Discretionary Grant program.

He said MDOT expects to learn in early September if it got the grant for the $10.1 million project that has yet to be scheduled.

Talbot said the MDOT is doing preliminary engineering for the bridge.

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: Truck traffic over the Androscoggin River bridge between Mexico and Peru will be rerouted along Routes 2 and 108 next week while the bridge is inspected for three days starting Monday, Aug. 4.