Fort Fairfield’s Puddle Dock Bridge will be out of commission starting next week, the Maine Department of Transportation said Monday.
Construction will start on July 20 to replace the nearly century-old bridge, which is located on Route 161 between Fort Hill Street and Dorsey Road, crossing over Pattee Brook.
The project is about a year behind its originally proposed schedule and carries a price tag of $3.7 million. The existing bridge, which crosses Pattee Brook, is in poor condition. For motorists and pedestrians, it means detours until this fall.
The 30-foot-long span was built in 1930, according to a 2024 design document. A 2021 inspection revealed structural problems like full-height cracks in the abutments, cracking and separation of layers in the main part of the bridge and breakdown of the concrete surface.
Workers will build a new bridge that is 30 feet wide and 76 feet long, which will feature a 5-foot, 7-inch sidewalk, a transportation department project report stated. Construction will include new abutments, and the roadway will be raised to prevent flooding.
Devoe Construction of Eagle Lake will perform the work, which is expected to be completed sometime in the fall.
The bridge was originally proposed to be completed last summer.
Crews will set up a temporary detour and operate a single 11-foot lane of alternating traffic, the transportation department said Monday.
Under the project proposal, three signal locations will be set up: one on each end of the bridge and one at the end of Park Street. Dorsey and Fort Hill Roads will be closed temporarily, with traffic redirected to Drummond Road or Forest Avenue.
Pedestrians will be able to use sidewalks on the temporary bridge and detour.
Motorists should expect delays and travel carefully through the work zone and along detours, the department advised.