March 28, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Penobscot Bridge project gets funding

The Maine congressional delegation on Friday announced the approval of $7.2 million in federal funds to replace the Penobscot Bridge connecting Bangor and Brewer.

“That guarantees we will meet our timetable,” said Alden Small, deputy commissioner of the Maine Department of Transportation, on hearing the news Friday night.

The $7.2 million, he said, were discretionary funds that were above and beyond the state’s usual federal allotment. That means the DOT will not have to fund that portion of the cost out of the state’s normal bridge replacement funds.

Because of the weakened condition of the old iron bridge that spans the Penobscot River, the project would have gone ahead anyway, but other work in the state would have been put on hold, he said.

“We feel tremendously relieved by this,” said Small. “It is like the final thing to fall in place. This is excellent news. We are in the final design process.”

The project is slated to cost $13 million, with 80 percent of the construction cost to be picked up by the federal government. The DOT estimates the project will be completed in late 1997.

The new four-lane bridge will be constructed in roughly the same location as the existing iron bridge and the same traffic patterns will be maintained.

The congressional delegation said Maine’s economy depends on a well-maintained system of roads and bridges. The funding approved Friday will help the state replace badly deteriorated bridges.

The Penobscot Bridge, which carries Route 1A traffic over the Penobscot River between Bangor and Brewer, was built in 1902. The existing bridge has a posted weight limit of three tons, the minimum posting limit without requiring the bridge be closed. The bridge serves about 23,000 vehicles per day, but is restricted to passenger cars only because of its deteriorating condition.

Maine also received grants totaling more than $500,000 to replace aging bridges in Biddeford and Somerset County. The funding is to construct two timber bridges under a federal timber bridge program written by Sen. George Mitchell and supported by Sen. William Cohen and Reps. Olympia Snowe and Tom Andrews.

A grant for $320,000 will replace a bridge over Wiskecheoke Creek in Somerset County and $232,000 to replace a bridge over Thatcher Brook in Biddeford.

In a joint statement, the delegation members agreed, “In Maine, where more than 40 percent of the state’s rural bridges are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, timber bridges make sense. The building material is available locally, and timber bridges can be constructed in cold weather. Since wood is naturally resistant to erosion by salt, timber bridges have advantages over steel and concrete in states like Maine where roads are salted in winter. Timber bridges also can be erected faster, which can be an important factor in limiting traffic interruptions and reducing costs.”


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