Workers confer as they prepare to open the eastbound lanes of the Ticonic Bridge from Waterville into Winslow in June. The bridge will close again Sept. 29 for about a month. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)

The Ticonic Bridge spanning the Kennebec River between Waterville and Winslow on U.S. Route 201 will close to traffic and pedestrians from Sept. 29 to Nov. 1 to allow for construction requiring complete access to the structure.

The state Department of Transportation posted a memo on its website advising motorists and pedestrians to follow posted detour routes — the Carter Memorial Bridge for vehicles and the Two Cent Bridge for pedestrians — during the closure, which will start at midnight Sept. 29 and end at 6 a.m. Nov. 1.

Now, eastbound traffic and pedestrians are allowed on the bridge, which the DOT is replacing 0ne half at a time as part of the $60 million project. The contractor, Cianbro Corp. based in Pittsfield, has been working on the bridge for more than two years. The westbound lane from Winslow to Waterville remains closed.

Parts of the bridge are more than 100 years old and at the end of their useful lives, according to DOT officials. The new bridge will have five traffic lanes, similar to the existing bridge, and will have widened shoulders for bicyclists and include sidewalks on both sides.

The eastbound lane of the bridge was re-opened June 25 after a 6-month, complete closure, during which motorists had to detour to the Carter Bridge to the south or the bridges in Fairfield to the north. Pedestrians had to use the Two Cent Bridge to the north of Ticonic.

Replacement of the eastbound, upstream half of the bridge has been completed and east-and-westbound traffic are scheduled to be allowed on the bridge by September 2026. Construction is expected to be completed May 2027.