Station 46 Bridge Replacement
The Maine Department of Transportation will be replacing the Station 46 bridge (#3039), and two culverts, located on US Route 1 over the Rockland Branch of the Maine Central Rail Road & Back River Creek, located 1.2 miles east of the Bath - Woolwich town line.
The Station 46 Bridge will be replaced on alignment, with a new 4 span, steel girder with concrete bridge deck structure, on concrete substructure units founded on piles. This new structure will replace a fracture critical structure that has deteriorated to the point that the end of itβs useful life is near.
The two culverts will be replaced with a new bridge named Pleasant Cove Bridge which will be an 85β span. This new structure will be put in place to protect the tidal resiliency of US Route 1 and to help restore tidal flow to the Back River Creek Marsh, located to the west of US Route 1. Work around this structure involves a raise in the finished grade by up to 5β in some locations. Because of poor soil quality that are prone to settlement, the area will be preloaded for 12 months with an additional 6β of fill to accommodate for this settling, before any construction of the new bridge begins. A temporary roadway to the east of US Route 1 will maintain two-way traffic throughout construction and be removed once the new structures are open to traffic. The contractor on this project is Reed & Reed. The contract amount is $34.3 million.