LEWISTON — After construction begins next week on the Bernard Lown Peace Bridge, the green trestle that spans the Androscoggin River between Lewiston and Auburn will no longer be four lanes.

To many daily commuters using the narrow bridge, it will be a welcome change.

While both cities announced the $6 million bridge overhaul last year, the construction is set to begin Wednesday and last until mid-November.

During construction, the bridge on Cedar Street will be reduced to two 12-foot lanes with no shoulders, but the traffic pattern will remain the same after the rehabilitation project is complete.

The 40-foot-wide span, formerly known as the South Bridge, currently has four travel lanes of 10 feet each, with no shoulder, which is tight and unsafe.

The overhaul will increase the lane widths to 11 feet, while creating 3-foot buffer lanes and a 5-foot shoulder.

The work will also include steel and joint repairs, paint and resurfacing.

According to the Maine Department of Transportation, the 723-foot-long bridge was built in 1936. One of its three piers was repaired in 1995, and deck was replaced in 1996.

Both cities have also provided additional funding to complete traffic improvements on either side of the bridge — largely aimed at increasing pedestrian safety.

The four lanes of traffic across the Bernard Lown Peace Bridge will be reduced to two lanes next week as renovation work begins. It will remain two lanes, with a 3-foot buffer lane, when renovations are complete. The bridge spans the Androscoggin River and connects the Twin Cities. (Sun Journal file photo )