The Maine Department of Transportation on Tuesday released a video that captured the collapse of a bridge carrying Stillwater Avenue traffic over the Stillwater River in Old Town on Aug. 13.
The Llewellyn Estes Bridge was under construction at the time and was not open to traffic. A section collapsed as concrete was being placed on the deck, according to the Maine DOT.
One worker suffered a broken ankle and two others suffered minor injuries.
The video released by the department on Tuesday was captured by a camera at a dam located downstream of the bridge.
The Maine DOT said it is still investigating to learn what caused the collapse. “Data collection, forensic analysis, inspection, and plans for removal of the downed span are ongoing,” the department said in a statement Tuesday.
The new bridge incorporated fiber reinforced polymer girders designed and patented at the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center. The Maine DOT said the girders were used because they are lighter weight and corrosion resistant.
Basalt International, the Winterport-based engineering company spearheading the construction, has called the bridge the “first of its kind,” though the girders were previously used in Hampden’s Grist Mill Bridge, which opened in late 2020, and the Twin Bridge on Route 69 over the West Branch of Souadabscook Stream, which was opened in 2022.
In an updated “frequently asked questions” page, the Maine DOT said those two spans are safe, and that, like other bridges in Maine, they are inspected regularly.
