AUGUSTA — The Rines Hill Bridge, which carries Water Street over the Maine Central Railroad track, reopened to two-way traffic Wednesday, wrapping up a project that imposed a detour on the south end of Augusta’s downtown.

During construction, which started in the spring of 2023, only one lane of northbound traffic remained open. The route is a well-traveled way for vehicle traffic to travel into the capital city’s historic downtown neighborhood. The open lane of northbound traffic was preserved to allow fire or rescue vehicles access to downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.

The Maine Department of Transportation awarded the bid for the $5.2 million project — to replace the bridge that was built more than nine decades ago — to New England Infrastructure Inc. of Hudson, Massachusetts.