Construction crews were on site in downtown Bangor on Thursday to install the first two of five steel segments of the new Willard C. Orr pedestrian footbridge over the Kenduskeag Stream.
The 80-foot, prefabricated steel segments will be installed on Thursday and Friday by crane. Crews installed two segments on Thursday, and will install three on Friday. Devoe Construction of Eagle Lake took down the former footbridge and is installing the new one, at a cost of $1.275 million.
Crews from Devoe Construction of Eagle Lake and Black Bear Crane of Hermon were on site in downtown Bangor on Thursday to install the first two of five steel segments of the new Willard C. Orr pedestrian footbridge over the Kenduskeag Stream. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN 
Crews from Devoe Construction of Eagle Lake and Black Bear Crane of Hermon were on site in downtown Bangor on Thursday to install the first two of five steel segments of the new Willard C. Orr pedestrian footbridge over the Kenduskeag Stream. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN 
Crews from Devoe Construction of Eagle Lake and Black Bear Crane of Hermon were on site in downtown Bangor on Thursday to install the first two of five steel segments of the new Willard C. Orr pedestrian footbridge over the Kenduskeag Stream. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN 
Crews from Devoe Construction of Eagle Lake and Black Bear Crane of Hermon were on site in downtown Bangor on Thursday to install the first two of five steel segments of the new Willard C. Orr pedestrian footbridge over the Kenduskeag Stream. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN 
Crews from Devoe Construction of Eagle Lake and Black Bear Crane of Hermon were on site in downtown Bangor on Thursday to install the first two of five steel segments of the new Willard C. Orr pedestrian footbridge over the Kenduskeag Stream. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN
The original bridge was taken down in June 2020, after cracks and deficiencies were found in its concrete base. The bridge opened in 1980, and carries pedestrian traffic across the Kenduskeag Stream from the downtown Bangor parking garage to the Penobscot Judicial Center. The new bridge is a prefabricated steel truss bridge that is narrower than the old bridge to allow for more efficient snow removal.
The city had hoped to have the new bridge installed in October 2020, but problems with both shipping and sourcing materials pushed the installation to this month.