COPLIN PLANTATION — Washed out abutments at Nash Stream Bridge on state Route 16 between Eustis and Rangeley and washed out snowmobile trails are two of many travel disruptions since the Dec. 18 rainstorm.
A man looks over the washed out Nash Stream Bridge on Dec. 20 on state Route 16 in Coplin Plantation. It affects traffic going from Eustis to Rangeley. Rangeley Fire Rescue photo
“We have a contractor working on repairs, but the bridge is still closed,” Paul Merrill, spokesman for the Maine Department of Transportation, said in an email Friday.
The latest closure list from Thursday includes 14 road and bridge closures remaining, down from about 100 the day after the storm, Merrill said.
Six are in Franklin County and four are in Oxford County. The rest are from around the state.
The timeline for repairs on the remaining problem areas is probably a few weeks, Merrill said.
Michael Bacon, chief of the Rangeley Fire Rescue Department, said the Nash Stream Bridge collapsed. Two parking areas were created on either side of the washout. Someone built a foot bridge so people can get across from each area. Some people have two cars parked, one on each side of the washout, Bacon said.
Joe Higgins, state snowmobile program supervisor, said the trails are a “mess.”
Landowners and snowmobile club volunteers are partnering and focusing on repairing the Interconnected Trail System and main artery trails, he said.
There are millions of dollars in damage to the trails around the state, Higgins said.
A snowmobile trail bridge is washed out in the Madrid Township/Phillips area. It is one of many damaged in the Dec. 18 rainstorm, Joe Higgins, state snowmobile program director, said. Joe Higgins photo
The Dec. 18 storm was the fourth significant storm since Dec. 23, 2022, that affected trails.
“Whether it was wind damage or a high volume of heavy rains, every end of the state was impacted in some way by the Dec. 18 storm,” he said.
There are a lot of washouts and bridges gone.
“It is amazing what is happening out there,” he said.
For anybody who wants to ride the trails, there will be a good section of the 14,000 miles of snowmobile trails in the state open, Higgins said.
There will be plenty of opportunities to ride the trails, though there will be some major rerouting done.
He recommends people plan their trips and do some research prior to heading out.
People can check trails on the Maine Snowmobile Association website at www.mainesnowmobileassociation.com or the state’s off-road vehicle Facebook page at www.facebook.com/OffRoadVehicles.
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