The Llewellyn Estes Bridge, which carries Stillwater Avenue traffic over the Stillwater River in Old Town, collapsed Thursday while in the process of being reconstructed, sending one person to the hospital with an injury.
The Maine Department of Transportation is investigating the collapse, but it’s unclear what caused it or when the public will learn the full scope of what happened.
Here’s what we know so far.
It was years in the making
Work on the project began in 2023, when workers first built a temporary bridge that vehicles could cross during the construction period. The temporary bridge only closed briefly on Thursday after part of the under-construction bridge collapsed.
Officials knew the bridge, which was more than 70 years old, needed to be replaced for years before reconstruction started. The Maine DOT initially rejected all bids for the project in 2022 after they came in nearly double the budgeted amount, which delayed work for more than a year.
Woolwich-based Reed & Reed, Inc. is the contractor building the new bridge. The company is also working on the Frank J. Wood Bridge connecting Brunswick and Topsham. It declined to comment, instead referring a reporter to the Maine DOT.
Maine-made tech is central to the project
The engineering company spearheading the construction, the Winterport-based Basalt International, has called the bridge the “first of its kind.” Its design uses a fiber reinforced polymer technology that was developed in Maine.
Basalt bills the polymer as a “miracle material” that’s lighter than steel but offers the same strength and is non-corrosive and cheaper than other materials. The technology is designed to last more than 100 years with very little maintenance.
Girders made with the material, known as GBeams, were designed and patented at the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center and licensed to AIT Bridges, now Basalt International, in 2019. Those girders were used for the first time for Hampden’s Grist Mill Bridge, which opened in late 2020.
The University of Maine also declined to comment and referred a reporter to the Maine DOT.
The material has been used for bridge projects in several other states since then, and for the Twin Bridge in Hampden. Basalt International did not return multiple calls requesting comment.
The collapse is under investigation
The Maine DOT is reviewing the collapse and inspecting the temporary bridge as well, it said Friday. The investigation will include collecting information and data about the bridge’s design, fabrication and construction.
No “significant” environmental impacts have been identified, the agency said Thursday.
The project’s future is unclear
The Old Town project was previously estimated to cost around $28 million and is using federal and state funds.
It’s unclear to what extent the collapse will push back the timeline or hike up costs for the project.