Traffic for the Stillwater bridges will be detoured in one direction for much of the month of June while emergency repairs are done.
The repairs are not for safety reasons, but rather, because the surface of the bridges, which are scheduled to be repaired by the end of this decade, is in such poor shape that the Maine Department of Transportation decided a temporary fix would be in order.
According to Steve Thebarge, Region 4 Manager for the DOT, plans are for sections of the deck of the bridges to be cut out and new concrete put in.
“There is no danger; the bridge is structurally sound. This will be designed to last for the next two or three years, to make the deck surface smoother,” said Thebarge. “It’s not a huge rehab.”
While work is being done over the course of about four weeks starting June 6, one way traffic will be allowed going eastbound. Westbound traffic, however, will be detoured; signage will be put up to suggested alternate routes, such as College Avenue, Rte. 2, Bennoch Road, and Rte. 43. The sidewalk along the bridges will remain open the entire time repairs are being done, said Thebarge.
Actual replacement of the two bridges probably will be put on to bid in 2018, with work to start later that year, said Thebarge.
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