RUMFORD – Residents and drivers who use the Martin Memorial Bridge on Route 232 in Rumford Point are invited to a public hearing next month on plans to replace it.

Maine Department of Transportation officials in Augusta have scheduled the hearing for 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1, at Rumford town hall.

MDOT Division Engineer Norm Haggan in Dixfield said state officials want to gauge concerns, get comments and answer questions from anyone with an interest in the project regarding three possible options.

These include rehabilitating the bridge, which spans the Androscoggin River, building another span atop existing abutments, or building an entirely new bridge.

According to department spokesman Mark Latti, average annual daily traffic for the bridge is 1,500 vehicles.

Earlier this year, department crews painted the span’s stringers underneath to protect them from corrosion, Haggan said.

The project is one of several statewide to be funded by $160 million in four years of dedicated federal money sent to Maine last year.

The department will be discussing the proposed replacement option and traffic control during construction, but Haggan said the project is still likely two to three years away.

“It will take quite a while to use (the money), because you don’t just design a bridge and build it the next week,” he said.

Accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities to attend the hearing. Auxiliary aids will also be provided on advance request.

For more information, contact project manager Leanne Timberlake at 624-3422 or [email protected], or by writing to her at Maine Department of Transportation, Bridge Program, Child Street, 16 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04222-0016.