Work on approaches to new bridge to begin soon

VERONA ISLAND – Crews from Wardwell Contracting will begin preliminary work on the approaches to the new Penobscot Narrows Bridge next week. It will involve intermittent traffic delays.

Work is scheduled to begin Monday at the Dr. Thegan Bridge between Bucksport and Verona Island and will continue across the island on Route 1 into Prospect. The project is scheduled to end at the scenic turnout in Prospect by May 26.

This project is basically a paving project, according to Tom Jewell, assistant division manager at Wardwell. Motorists can expect lane closures when the crews are paving sections of the road.

Although the project will not make any major changes to the layout of the road, it will prepare the road for other changes scheduled to take place in the fall, Jewell said. As part of the bridge construction project, the Maine Department of Transportation plans to make improvements to the intersection of Routes 174 and 1 at the Prospect end of the bridge and to the sharp curve on the Verona Island approach to the bridge.

“When we’re done, you’re not going to notice anything different,” he said. “This is the preliminary work. In the fall, there’ll be another project and we’ll actually change the intersection and flatten out the curve to match the new bridge.”

Construction on the $84 million bridge is moving ahead. DOT officials are working with local volunteers to plan the formal dedication of the bridge in October. The bridge is scheduled to open to vehicle traffic sometime in December.