When the Gardiner City Council meets Wednesday, it is expected to hear an update from the Maine Department of Transportation and Reed & Reed on the status of the state’s bridge replacement project in Gardiner and the excavation of materials in the vicinity of the Bridge Street bridge earlier this year.
More than four years ago, state transportation officials and their consultants started meeting with Gardiner officials and residents on the planned replacements of the Bridge Street and Maine Avenue bridges, both of which cross Cobbosseecontee Stream along the north edge of the downtown neighborhood.
Starting next week, the Maine Avenue bridge is slated to be removed and replaced with a new one in the last two weeks of October.
Jim Wentworth, a project manager with Reed & Reed — the construction company that was awarded the bid on the $12.6 million state project — said Monday that the because of the timeframe, work is expected to take place around the clock, in two shifts of 12 hours each. That will require the closure of Maine Avenue and detours for routine traffic as well as trucks associated with the project.
The Arcade parking lot will remain open, with access through the west end, near the Bridge Street bridge; the east entrance near the Maine Avenue bridge will be closed to traffic, Wentworth said.
Wentworth said he expects to be on hand to answer questions about the project.
In July, the state Department of Environmental Protection started overseeing a project to clean up pollutants discovered in the right-of-way under the Bridge Street bridge. Initially, the project was expected to take a couple of weeks, work continued into September, as workers tried to identify the source of contaminants they found by working upstream of the original location near the former Gardiner Shoe factory and the former Chapman’s Fuel site.
Elected officials are also expected to:
• Hold a public hearing and and consider the first read of proposed amendments to the city ordinance governing removal of snow in parking lots.
• Hear an update on city-wide paving from Public Works Director Tony LaPlante.
• Hear a presentation on the preliminary plan for the restoration of the Palmer Fountain in the Gardiner Common.
• Hear a presentation from the Gardiner Democratic Committee on its donation to the Gardiner Fire Relief Fund.
• Consider adopting the FY20 business/license fee schedule.
• Consider increasing motor vehicle agent fees in response to new state laws allowing that to happen.
• Consider the city manager’s request for a substitute manager when needed.
• Consider approving victualers licenses for Sweet Carolynn’s, Gardiner Area Youth Football, Able Body Functional Fitness and Frosty’s Donuts.
• Accept the minutes of the Sept. 19 City Council meeting.
The Gardiner City Council meets at 6 p.m., Wednesday in the City Council chamber at 6 Church St.
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