PORTLAND - The Maine Department of Transportation opened the new Veranda Street Bridge to traffic shortly before 7:00 a.m. today four hours ahead of schedule. This bridge carries I-295 over Route 1/Veranda Street (between Exits 9 and 10) in Portland. It is one of the most heavily travelled corridors in the State of Maine. The new bridge is designed to last 100 years.
This part of I-295 had been closed since Friday evening to accommodate the replacement of the old Veranda Street Bridge, which was 61 years old and structurally deficient. MaineDOT used an innovative Accelerate Bridge Construction (ABC) technique designed to reduce long-term traffic disruptions. Conventional bridge construction techniques would have involved the construction of a temporary bridge and would have likely created traffic congestion for three or four years. This ABC method compressed significant traffic impacts to a period of 60 hours.
Demolition of the old bridge began as soon as I-295 closed at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The last beams from the old bridge were removed late Saturday morning. Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs) began moving the new southbound bridge span into place late Saturday afternoon. The SPMTs moved the new northbound span into place shortly after midnight on Sunday. This was the first time MaineDOT used SPMTs.
At this time of year, approximately 55,000 vehicles use this part of the interstate on an average day. This ABC method required those motorists to either avoid the area or use detour routes this past weekend. Detours routes primarily relied on the Maine Turnpike and Route 1 in Falmouth. No significant traffic delays were reported during the weekend closure period.
Route 1/Veranda Street (under I-295) has been closed to traffic since 2:00 p.m. on Monday, April 18th and is schedule to reopen at 2:00 p.m. today.
The old roadway geometry underneath the interstate bridge was confusing and contributed to a high incidence of crashes at the intersection of Veranda Street and the I-295 southbound on-ramp. Part of this project involves a reconfiguration of that roadway. Modern signalized intersections at the end of the Exit 9 ramps will improve safety for all users. Once complete, the reconfigured Veranda Street will consist of two 11-foot-wide vehicle travel lanes, two five-foot-wide bicycle lanes, a five-foot-wide sidewalk on the north side of the roadway, and a multi-use path on the south side that extends to the Martin's Point Bridge. This project will convert nearly 1.5 acres of roadway and median into green space.
Planning for the Veranda Street Bridge replacement project began in 2016. Construction began in March 2021. Crews built the foundations for the new structure beneath the existing bridge while also building two new bridge decks on the east side of the interstate. Each of these new bridge decks weighs approximately 800,000 pounds and was set atop the new foundations during the interstate closure. This project also involved the use of geofoam blocks as fill in the bridge embankments. This material is light enough that it will not compress the soft marine clay in the area.
More work on this project will continue in the coming months. This work will involve some overnight lane closures. MaineDOT is also planning another paving operation in October. Parts of the interstate roadway on either side of the new bridge will likely settle as much as one inch throughout the next several months. This is normal and expected. All work is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2022.
The construction contract for this project is approximately $18.1 million. The total project cost (including engineering and design work) is approximately $20.8 million.
HNTB Corporation of South Portland is the design firm for this project. Cianbro of Pittsfield is the prime contractor. Shaw Brothers Construction of Gorham performed the earthwork and bridge demolition.
MaineDOT is extremely grateful to everyone who helped make this weekend a success. Department staff and our contracting partners all worked as one team to get this important part of the project done safely and ahead of schedule. The City of Portland, the Town of Falmouth, and the Maine Turnpike Authority were key players in helping MaineDOT with detour routes and communication. The team at Burgess Advertising & Marketing in Falmouth helped us spread our message.
Most importantly, MaineDOT wants to thank our customers the members of the traveling public who heeded the warnings to avoid the area, used detour routes, and planned for delays during the interstate closure weekend. We sincerely appreciate your continued patience and understanding as we do this important work. Thank you.