The Frank J. Wood Bridge has been closed northbound from Brunswick to Topsham since Monday, as the bridge replacement project nears completion next year.

The new bridge is expected to open to traffic sometime after the Thanksgiving holiday, and the project will be fully completed by late 2026, according to a Maine Department of Transportation spokesperson.

MDOT announced an 89-day closure of northbound traffic starting this week, excluding national holidays. Traffic traveling from Brunswick to Topsham is being detoured via the Topsham Bypass and Route 196.

MDOT also expects six overnight closures of southbound traffic, during which the bridge will be closed to both directions. The full overnight closures will occur from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. and have not yet been scheduled.

Reed & Reed, of Woolwich, is the contractor on the $49.9 million project.

The replacement for the nearly 100-year-old span, which carries Route 201 over the Androscoggin River between Brunswick and Topsham, began construction in April 2023, after MDOT rated the bridge as in poor condition.

The project is back on schedule after being held up by legal delays as historic preservation groups sought to stop the demolition of the 1932 bridge.

The challenges were rejected in federal court after years of costly legal battles.

Some features of the new bridge include sidewalks on both sides, wider shoulders, lighting improvements, unobstructed views of the Pejepscot Falls and parks on both ends of the bridge. The new bridge is designed to last at least a century, according to MDOT.