Motorists who utilize the Deer Isle ? Sedgwick bridge need to be aware of three upcoming bridge closures which will shut down the bridge three times this week, with each shutdown lasting approximately 60 minutes.
The closures are weather-dependent, and are scheduled to occur between 9:00 a.m. and 2:30 on Tuesday. Crews need three hour-long closures to conduct the inspection, and if the weather is poor on Tuesday, crews will postpone the inspection until Wednesday or Thursday.
Crews must close the bridge and remove all vehicles from the bridge in order to survey the suspension cables. Surveyors will be looking specifically at the cables when there is no weight on the bridge. This will allow the engineers to determine if any of the cables need to be tightened.
The Deer Isle Sedgwick Bridge was built in 1939 and is just over 2,500 feet in length. It is a cable-stayed bridge that spans Eggemoggin Reach and connects the towns of Deer Isle and Stonington to the mainland. Approximately 2,800 vehicles a day utilize the bridge.