AUGUSTA – “The Wicked Good Bridge” and “The Prosperona Bridge” are among the names that were considered for a final moniker for the new span replacing the Waldo-Hancock Bridge in eastern Maine.

The new $84 million bridge, which is scheduled to open next fall, will replace a landmark structure that has carried U.S. Route 1 traffic over the Penobscot River for seven decades.

A special committee that has been accepting suggestions for the bridge for the last six months will present its final recommendation to the Legislature, which convenes for its 2006 session next Wednesday. Lawmakers will choose the new name after that.

Among the hundreds of suggestions that have come in so far are “The Wicked Good Bridge,” “The Big Scary Bridge” and a name that combines the names of the communities at each side of the span: “The Prosperona Bridge.” The bridge connects Prospect in Waldo County and Verona Island in Hancock County.

The bridge-naming panel does not plan to reveal its choice until next week, but one name already has been ruled out, according to state Sen. Richard Rosen, R-Bucksport. Rosen says the “Waldo-Hancock Bridge” won’t be used because that name belongs to the existing bridge until it’s replaced and removed.

Bridge designers invited local residents to give their ideas on how the new bridge should look, as well as the name.

Bridge builders announced Friday another new milestone as the structure nears completion.

On Dec. 22, the final placement of the upper pylon on the Verona Island side of the bridge was completed, bringing the tower section to its finished height of nearly 431 feet. Once the roof is added, the pylon will reach 447 feet.

“Now we’ll be able to get the pylon crew working on the construction of the Verona abutment,” said project manager Tom Doe. The project began in December 2003.