In response to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit's January 4th decision regarding the Frank J. Wood Bridge, the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) is issuing the following statement:
For years, the plaintiffs in this case have been trying to save a 90-year-old bridge that is rapidly approaching the end of its useful life despite recommendations from transportation engineering agencies charged with responsibly maintaining thousands of Maine bridges.
Yesterday's ruling affirms that there is no merit to the factual arguments the plaintiffs have been making regarding specific construction costs and the approach MaineDOT used to develop cost estimates. The Court's opinion makes clear what MaineDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) already knew: the cost of rehabilitating the Frank J. Wood Bridge is much greater than the cost of replacing it.
To finalize this matter, the Court is requiring one additional factual finding, but we are confident that the result will be the same: the villages of Brunswick and Topsham are going to be connected by a new, safer bridge that better serves all users, including pedestrians and bicyclists. MaineDOT will work with our partners at FHWA to satisfy the Court's instruction in short order. With all the community and municipal support to move forward with the new bridge, we hope there are no additional attempts to delay the project with new legal challenges.
Despite the challenges of continued bridge deterioration and the soaring cost of construction, we expect to be able to advertise for construction bids for the new bridge this spring, and thereby discharge our responsibility to the communities and all the people of Maine to responsibly promote public safety, economic opportunity, and quality of life.
Commercial vehicles and vehicles that weigh more than ten tons (20,000 pounds) are still prohibited from using the Frank J. Wood Bridge. MaineDOT put this restriction in place in November following the results of a September inspection that showed rapid and aggressive deterioration. The next bridge inspection is scheduled for March.
Use this link to take a virtual tour of the replacement bridge: https://vtour.123bim.com/RRTT/vtour.html