AUGUSTA – A proposal to replace the Waldo-Hancock Bridge across the Penobscot River received a significant boost Tuesday when two key opponents of a similar plan two years ago withdrew their opposition.

Representatives from the Maine Department of Transportation and the Maine Historic Preservation Commission told the Legislature’s Transportation Committee they are neither for nor against the proposal.

The committee is reviewing a proposed resolution from state Rep. Donald Berry that calls for the Legislature to direct DOT to replace the existing bridge, which carries Route 1 across the Penobscot River, linking the towns of Verona and Prospect.

The bridge is in the middle of a six-year, $25 million renovation.

Berry introduced the new bill after DOT engineers discovered last fall that the main cables of the existing bridge had deteriorated much more than they had anticipated.

That information prompted the two agencies to change their positions on the measure, which they had opposed two years ago.

Bruce Van Note, acting deputy DOT commissioner, told the committee that not only was the department “neither for nor against” the resolution, but that it already had begun studying options for a long-term solution.

Van Note cautioned that a plan for a new bridge would take time to develop and that the study the DOT has begun must follow strict federal regulations if the state hopes to obtain federal funding it will need for any alternative project.

Several elected officials from the midcoast and Down East area testified in favor of building a new bridge, noting that it is the main transportation artery providing access into Hancock County and to the Down East area for commuters, commercial traffic and tourists.

State Rep. Richard Rosen, R-Bucksport, said that initially DOT estimated the reconstruction project would cost $25 million and extend the life of the bridge by 50 years without any restrictions on travel. Based on the new information about the bridge’s conditions, he said, that original premise might not be correct. Estimates now put those costs closer to $35 million.

“It may be more expensive to repair the bridge with a shorter useful life and the possibility of some restrictions on usage,” Rosen said. “We need to take the long view and require the department to conduct a full study and reconsider construction of another bridge.”

State Sen. Edward Youngblood noted that the bridge was still safe and, according to DOT engineers, still met the safety standards of bridges being built today. That, he said, was because the bridge was “overbuilt” when it was constructed in 1931. The real concern is that no one knows how quickly that deterioration has happened, he said.

Waldo County Commissioner John Hyk warned the committee that it may not have heard all of the bad news yet. Most of the information on the bridge cables has come from examination of the north cable, he said.

“The worst damage may not be known yet,” he said. “The south cable has not been unwrapped yet.”

DOT officials have indicated the cost of a new bridge could range from $40 million to $60 million. In addition, the existing bridge will have to be maintained to keep traffic moving while the new bridge is being built. Hyk also noted that tearing down the existing bridge would cost another $12 million.

Dave Cheever, a trustee with Maine Preservation, was the only person to testify against the bill. Cheever argued that the construction of a new bridge did not necessarily mean the old one had to be taken down.

“They’re not mutually exclusive,” he said. The bridge could be kept in place and not used for heavy traffic, he said.

The bridge’s designation on the National Register of historic structures and as a state historic bridge almost guarantees that it will not be taken down; legislators noted that state designation also makes the state responsible for its maintenance and capital repairs.

The department has ordered a new, independent study on the cables, the results of which are due within a few weeks. Dave Milan, the economic development director in Bucksport, said the town preferred to wait for the results of that study before taking a position on the proposed bill.