FARMINGTON —  Franklin County commissioners voted Tuesday to authorize submissions of a preliminary bridge design for Luce Bridge, which sits over Quick Stream on Reed Road in Salem Township.

Steven C. Govoni of Wentworth Partners & Associates in Skowhegan presented the preliminary design.

The engineering and architectural firm was the lowest of two bids in February. It was awarded the contract for engineering and permits for a contract price of $61,080.

Commissioners had hoped to get the project done this summer, but it will take about six months to get the permits needed from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineering, according to Govoni.

County road supervisor Mike Pond said Wednesday that the wooden abutments on the original bridge are rotting, with the weight of the eye beams and concrete on top of the wood and decking causing the bridge to deteriorate.

The state limited the vehicle weight on the bridge to 30 tons for two years, but when the concrete top was replaced previously under another road supervisor, it was not shored up with steel, Pond said in 2022.

The bridge is unsafe for heavy loads. Loads are limited to 30 tons and under, he said. An oil truck with a minimum load would be able to pass over it, but a loaded logging truck would not, he said.

Once the bridge is completed, the county will go out for proposals to have it installed.

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