By Rick Wright

Staff Writer

With the stroke of a pen, Maine Department of Transportation Commissioner David Cole officially started the process of replacing the Veterans Memorial Bridge that connects Portland and South Portland via Route 1.

As the old bridge loomed over his right shoulder, Cole signed the contract at a press conference last week at Mercy Hospital’s Fore River Campus.

“With my signature here, this makes it all legal and binding,” Cole said. “We’re all in it together now.”

Construction of the new $63 million bridge is scheduled to begin in May and expected to open to traffic in July 2012. The old bridge is expected to be removed by December 2012.

Federal funding will cover 80 percent of the project’s expenses and DOT will pay the remaining balance.

DOT officials don’t anticipate major traffic problems because the new bridge will be built next to the old one and link to a new intersection on Fore River Parkway in Portland.

The bridge currently carries more than 22,000 vehicles a day. Built in 1954, Cole said it is in “bad shape” and needs to be replaced. 

“It’s coming to the end of its life,” he said. 

DOT Engineer Wayne Frankhauser said the old bridge is aging, deteriorating and suffering from poor soils – a lack of ledge in the Fore River gives the bridge little support.

All Maine bridges are inspected every two years, according to DOT spokesman Mark Latti. If a bridge is determined to be in poor condition, it gets inspected every year. 

Once the DOT determines a bridge must be replaced, it is put on a “watch” list and replaced within 10 years, Latti said.

Latti said soil under the new bridge will be compacted to create a better base for the bridge’s footings and piers. The bridge will also be supported by bedrock which is located 40-120 feet beneath the surface, Latti said.In recent years, large chunks of roadbed have fallen into the Fore River and forced officials to close the bridge each time. 

The new bridge will be slightly higher and a little shorter than the old one. It will be built to accommodate pedestrians and bicycles as well as motorized vehicles.

The new design will incorporate a 12-foot-wide path for people and bikes. The current structure has only a narrow walkway for pedestrians and no bicycle lanes.

“The bike and pedestrian access, that’s just a huge win,” said South Portland’s Assistant City Manager Erik Carson.

“Right from the beginning there was a concern about making sure that would happen. I think that this is a real sensitive, positive design,” he said

Richard Rottkov, president of the South Portland Land Trust, said he was especially pleased that the new bridge will be pedestrian and bicycle friendly.

“We’re ecstatic. It supports our goals. It’s part of our mission,” Rottkov said. “It could really change the way people travel in this area. It’s healthier, safer and more environmentally friendly.”

The structure also will include monuments that honor all five branches of the military on the bridge and its approaches.

Reed & Reed of Woolwich was selected as contractor for the $63 million dollar project. T.Y. Lin International, a Falmouth company, will be the lead design and engineering firm for Reed & Reed.

At its peak, the bridge replacement effort will employ approximately 1,700 workers. Most of the jobs will be for laborers, carpenters and crane operators. 

Hiring will be done over the next six to eight weeks and the number of new hires will increase as construction heads into its busiest phase.

The plan for replacing the bridge began in November 2008 with a public meeting, Frankhauser said. The current plan, called “design-build,” was developed with input from stakeholders gathered at about a half-dozen meetings, Frankhauser said. The stakeholders included citizens, business leaders, and city officials from Portland and South Portland.

The design team will hold a public meeting later this spring to gather further community input and finalize design elements for the bridge. The team has hired Barton & Gingold to facilitate pre-construction public education and keep the public informed throughout the project.

Rick Wright can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 237 or news@inthesentry.com.