OLD TOWN, Maine — The Maine Department of Transportation could use innovative construction materials designed to last more than 100 years when it replaces a deteriorating bridge in Old Town next year.
The Maine DOT plans to install a temporary, two-way bridge ahead of replacing the Llewellyn G. Estes Memorial Bridge in 2024, department spokesperson Paul Merrill said. The design team is exploring the use of GBeams from Brewer-based manufacturer Advanced Infrastructure Technologies, which are fiber-reinforced polymer bridge beams, he said.
The bridge is more than 70 years old and considered structurally deficient. When it closed for part of a day earlier this month because a utility pole leaning over the bridge caused safety concerns, area residents wondered if the replacement project date would move up.
While the replacement project is still slated for 2024, people can expect that installation of the temporary bridge will begin in July and extend into late fall. If Advanced Infrastructure Technologies’ composite beams are used, it would follow projects like replacement of the Grist Mill Bridge in Hampden, which was the first in the nation to use the technology.
The bridge, which consists of two structures that carry Stillwater Avenue across the Stillwater River, was slated for replacement as part of a multi-year, $20 million project.
The department rejected all bids last April after they came in nearly double the budgeted amount, delaying the project about two years. It decided to separate the bridge replacement from other road work.
The replacement bridge design is in progress, so a cost estimate was not available Friday.
GBeams are designed to last decades longer than traditional steel and concrete structures, are resistant to corrosion and require little maintenance, according to the company, which developed the technology with University of Maine researchers.
The material is also more environmentally friendly and lighter, making it less expensive to transport as well as easier to work with.
Since construction of the Hampden bridge wrapped up in late 2020, AIT has completed sets of GBeams for projects in Maine, Florida and Rhode Island, and is working on others on the West Coast, according to its website.
“Drivers and pedestrians will be able to use the temporary bridge during construction,” Merrill said. “The temporary bridge will be removed after the proposed bridge is opened to traffic.”
The previously advertised bridge construction package also included a temporary bridge, he said.
Parts of Old Town’s bridge have been deteriorating for years, but Maine transportation officials said last summer it was still safe for most to drive over despite its poor condition.
A 30-ton weight restriction was added to the bridge’s northernmost span last July.
Merrill said at the time that the weight limit would not affect fire engines, school buses, oil delivery trucks and most local delivery trucks. But logging trucks carrying wood harvested in the state have to take a detour, which makes the path to market longer and more expensive.
City Manager Bill Mayo, city councilors and others advocated for a temporary bridge shortly after the weight restriction was imposed because it is a major route for forest products in Maine.
Woolwich-based Reed & Reed is working as the project’s construction manager and providing input during the design process. The company will have a chance to bid on the project, based on the completed design, to become the general contractor, Merrill said.
Reporter Sawyer Loftus contributed to this story.
