A federal judge dealt another blow last week to a small group of midcoast residents that’s spent years fighting to save a nearly century-old bridge connecting Brunswick and Topsham.
The state Department of Transportation has launched a nearly $50 million project to replace the Frank J. Wood Bridge, which is corroded and so structurally unsafe that commercial vehicles have been banned from it. Construction has already begun on the new one, which could open in late 2026.
But a nonprofit called Friends of the Frank J. Wood Bridge has long pushed for the bridge to be fixed, not replaced. With about 10 members, the group has filed numerous unsuccessful legal challenges to stop the project since 2021, including the appeal that was rejected in federal court last week.
The group has spent more than $100,000 on its failing campaign, putting its members at odds with local officials and many other residents who support the state’s plans to replace the steel bridge.
So, what is it about the bridge that has inspired such zeal among its few remaining advocates?
In short, it’s history.
John Graham, president of the Friends of the Frank J. Wood Bridge, did not respond to requests for comment. But he and other members of the group have previously argued that the bridge is an iconic part of the region.
They say that its rusty green trusses, which span a picturesque section of the Androscoggin River, complement the repurposed mill buildings that stand at either end and offer a reminder of the paper, textile and other industries that have used the river’s power over the centuries.
“It really is the focal point of Brunswick and Topsham,” Graham told Down East magazine. “When you see a picture of that bridge and the two mills surrounding it, you immediately know where you are.”
Several different bridges have connected Brunswick and Topsham since the late 1700s, according to a history pamphlet by Maine DOT. Earlier bridges were made of wood, while later ones used iron and its alloy, steel.
In the late 1920s, the state began thinking about replacing an iron bridge that was built in 1889, after a trolley jumped its tracks and destroyed some of its supports. An outspoken Topsham farmer named Frank J. Wood argued the new bridge should be moved upstream to be safer and more practical — running in a straight line that would avoid the dangerous curve in previous versions of the bridge.
In August 1930, nearly 200 townspeople attended a meeting by the state, county commissioners and town selectmen to show their support for Wood’s plan. By September of 1930, Wood’s plan was approved.
Completed in 1932, Wood’s namesake infrastructure is now one of 30 remaining historic truss bridges in the state, according to the Maine Monitor. MaineDOT has handled the replacement of 47 similarly built truss bridges since 1999.
To preserve that history, the Friends of the Frank J. Wood Bridge has argued that the state should have fixed the midcoast bridge from the beginning.
Because of its historical preservation status, the state has to legally prove that it would cost much more to repair the bridge than to replace it, and its replacement project was originally approved by federal officials in 2017, when it had an estimated price tag of $13 million, according to the Maine Monitor.
But that price went up significantly when the project finally went out to bid last year, reaching just under $50 million. Now, the Friends of the Frank J. Wood Bridge accuses the state of underestimating the replacement costs to go ahead with the project.
“We’ve been saying it for six years now. You can’t build a [new] bridge for $13 million. You never could,” Graham told the Maine Monitor last year. “The bid came out at $50 million … What’s the point of the law if you can say it’s going to cost $13 million? It’s a precedent that’s going to affect everything in this country, from bridges to parks.”
But courts and federal officials have continued to side with the Maine DOT’s replacement project, including the National Highway Safety Administration, which last year found that maintaining the bridge would cost $10 million more than constructing a new one.
Maine DOT spokesperson Paul Merrill said the state is pleased with the court’s latest decision upholding the project. He said the ruling was further confirmation that the decision to replace the bridge was sound.
Merrill said the Friends group has a right to appeal last week’s decision, and that Maine DOT is “prepared and committed to oppose any additional court challenges.”
The new bridge is designed to last 100 years, according to the Maine DOT website. It will have sidewalks on each side with pedestrian bump-outs, wider shoulders and parks on each end.
Graham told Maine Public that he was “disappointed, but not surprised” by the recent ruling. He said the group has not yet decided on whether to appeal the decision.