RUMFORD — Maine Department of Transportation officials will convene a public meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, at the Town Hall to discuss rehabilitation of Upper Canal Bridge.
The bridge carries Route 108 traffic over Mill Canal, under which a channel of the Androscoggin River flows after being released from the Pennacook Falls Dam.
The bridge, which is near Canal Street, has been deteriorating for some time. According to Sun Journal archives, its bituminous wearing surface was replaced in the spring of 1983 with a concrete wearing surface to help protect the span’s concrete structural slab and extend its life.
In 2015, MDOT would like to replace the bridge rather than continue to repair it. Railings and concrete sections of the bridge were damaged in April 2013, when a logging truck lost a load of wood that rolled over on the bridge. Some of the damaged railings have yet to be replaced.
According to the 2015/16 MDOT work plan, the bridge superstructure replacement project is estimated to cost $2,085,000.
Department representatives will be present at the Jan. 29 meeting to listen to concerns, receive comments and answer questions from anyone with an interest in the project.
The MDOT is particularly interested in learning local views relative to project consistency with local comprehensive plans, discovering local resources and identifying local concerns and issues. Anyone with an interest is invited to attend and participate in the meeting.
Accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities. Auxiliary aids will be provided upon advance request.
For more information, write Steve Bodge, Project Manager, Maine Department of Transportation, Bridge Program, 16 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0016, or email stephen.bodge@maine.gov or call 441-6850.
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- Officials with the Maine Department of Transportation will convene a public meeting next week in Rumford to discuss rehabilitation of this Route 108 bridge over the canal through which the Androscoggin River flows in Rumford.
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- Red tape serves as a warning to pedestrians that the railing is out on Rumford’s Upper Canal Bridge over the Androscoggin River. Several railing sections and concrete abutments were damaged last April when a logging truck rolled over on the bridge, spilling its load. The state transportation department plans to replace the bridge in 2015.
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