THOMASTON, Maine — A new $4.3 million bridge using modern-day composite material is open to traffic.
The new Wadsworth Street bridge spanning the St. George River will have a formal opening ceremony on Oct. 5.
The 300-foot long, 36-foot wide bridge replaces a span that has been in place since 1928, connecting Thomaston to its Brooklyn Heights neighborhood and the Cushing peninsula. The old bridge is less than 20-feet wide in the travel lanes.
The old bridge — built at an estimated cost of $38,542 — originally opened and closed to allow boats to get to the limekilns on the upstream side of the bridge, according to the Thomaston Historical Society. The raising gear for that structure was later removed.
The new bridge was built over two construction seasons. Maine Department of Transportation press secretary Ted Talbot said last week that the construction took two seasons because work on the water could only occur from November through March to protect Atlantic salmon, sturgeon and other protected species.
The project used a new technology with hybrid composite beams which are fiberglass shells with a concrete arch built inside of them for extended design life, according to the transportation department. The bridge also was built with glass polymer reinforced bars for the support structure of the bridge deck which will last longer because it will not rust. Pipe pile foundations were coated with a thick spray called LINE X, for additional corrosion protection. The spray is used on truck bed liners.
The state purchased the Waterfront Market which was located on the Thomaston side of the bridge. The building was removed to construct the bridge.
This extra land will likely be sold back to the town for use as a town park, according to the DOT. The town had previously asked the state for the land for a park and a place for small boats to be launched into the river.