BANGOR, Maine — The Maine Department of Transportation said it expects to finish replacing the Union Street bridge this summer, about five months ahead of schedule.
For the past two years, starting in the spring of 2014, MDOT has been rebuilding the bridge section by section.
Commuters’ headaches should end in June or July instead of November, as planners originally projected.
“This early spring and the late winter are helping us get out of here earlier than expected,” Troy DeVoe, resident engineer on the $10 million project, said.
DOT halted work for most of the winter because much of the work, such as excavating gravel and finishing the bridge membrane, can’t be done in the cold weather.
After the membrane is complete, crews will pave the bridge and road and install lights.
The project resulted in a completely new bridge, but took more than two years because the bridge remained open throughout the process.
The 54-year-old bridge was in serious need of replacement. It sees 19,000 vehicles pass over on an average day, and an average 44,000 vehicles pass under on the interstate daily.
DeVoe acknowledged the project has been a frustrating, disruptive one at times.
“The public’s been pretty tolerant of it,” he said.
However, DeVoe said crews have seen a distressing number of people distracted by phones or speeding in the area. He stressed that people should slow down and pay attention when traveling through construction zones.
“We all want to go home at the end of the day and have the traveling public be safe as well,” DeVoe said.
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