State weighs bridge options
Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
NORRIDGEWOCK — Efforts to fix the historic but dangerous concrete covered bridge is moving slowly through a laborious federal process designed to balance safety concerns and historic resources.
Plagued with lanes that are too narrow for modern trucks and a dangerous intersection at its north end, the four-span concrete arch bridge is also the largest of only three surviving reinforced concrete arch bridges built in Maine between 1926 and 1928.
But while the bridge has a federal sufficiency rating of only 17 out of 100 and the state has set aside $750,000 for preliminary engineering and right-of-way acquisition, efforts to address the safety concerns have been slowed by federal laws designed to make sure historic resources are protected.
About 80 percent of the funding for bridge replacement projects usually comes from the federal government.
Federal law prohibits negatively affecting historical resources unless there is no feasible and prudent alternatives.
Duane A. Scott, of the Department of Transportation, said he is working on a document that outlines alternatives for addressing the safety concerns.
Once the document is accepted as legally sufficient by the Federal Highway Administration, the state Department of Transportation can hold a public meeting to discuss the alternatives.
A report by Lichtenstein Consulting Engineers of Connecticut released last year outlined seven alternatives, from spending $641,000 to maintain the bridge for another ten years to $10.9 million to build a new, wider bridge that incorporates the arches of the existing structure.
Scott said he looks forward to calling the meeting but said he has no idea when it could take place.
He said a draft of the document was submitted to the federal agency in March and later returned with requests for more information. He said he hopes to resubmit it in the next two weeks.
Scott said federal laws require precise information.
"The key thing is having it technically accurate and having the appropriate amount of information that justifies the ability to make a decision that could result in impacts to the historic resource," he said.
There are at least three separate federal laws that affect the decision making process involving historic resources, said Scott.
Complicating matters further is the fact that not only is the bridge a historic resource, but there are several properties close to the bridge that are also eligible for listing on the National Registry of Historic Places.
But while the process is complex and requires time, Scott said the goal is important.
"The benefit that we have is we are making good decisions that are taking into account all of the environmental resources," he said.
Alan Crowell — 474-9534, Ext. 342
acrowell@centralmaine.com