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MaineDOT wins federal court case to replace Frank J. Wood Bridge over Androscoggin River. Legal battles over community history and bridge rehabilitation vs. replacement ongoing. Construction ongoing since spring 2023, scheduled for completion by late 2026 with enhanced design features for safe, reliable crossing.
Thu January 16, 2025 - Northeast Edition #3
A federal appeals court in Boston has affirmed a lower court's decision supporting the Maine Department of Transportation's planned replacement of the Frank J. Wood Bridge over the Androscoggin River connecting the towns of Brunswick and Topsham, MaineDOT announced in a Jan. 13 news release.
The First Circuit U.S. Court of decision, issued on Jan. 10, upholds a U.S. District Court ruling that was handed down in January 2024.
"This latest ruling reaffirms that the decision to replace the Frank J. Wood Bridge, rather than rehabilitate the existing structure, was and is the best way to continue to provide a safe and reliable connection between the villages of Brunswick and Topsham," commented MaineDOT Commissioner Bruce Van Note.
"This is the eighth court ruling since 2020 that supports the new bridge decision made by the state and federal transportation officials after an extensive public and permitting process. While a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court to request further appeal is possible, we hope that the consistency and strength of the prior legal rulings, the low likelihood of success of such petitions, and the widespread support for the new bridge will lead the plaintiffs to conclude that it is time to end this lengthy and expensive legal process."
Portland's WCSH-TV noted that various groups in the area have fought against the full replacement of the old bridge, saying it is part of the community's history and could be rehabilitated instead of replaced.
Despite the legal maneuvering, however, work has continued to progress since spring 2023 on constructing the new river crossing.
The Frank J. Wood Bridge is a three-span, through truss bridge that has carried U.S. Highway 201 automobile traffic over the river since it was opened in 1932.
Due to its being over 90 years old, though, the old bridge has critical structural issues. MaineDOT noted that it is fracture critical and rated in poor condition. Since November 2021, the agency has prohibited all commercial traffic from using the current bridge.
MaineDOT began the process to improve the crossing in 2014. However, legal and process delays through a period of extraordinary construction inflation caused the new bridge costs to more than triple original conceptual estimates.
Finally, in February 2023, a contract for the replacement structure was awarded to Reed & Reed Inc. in nearby Woolwich for $49.9 million.
On-site construction on the replacement bridge began in April 2023, according to MaineDOT, and steel beams are currently being placed on the new piers and abutments. All work associated with the construction contract is scheduled to be finished in late 2026, but the new bridge is expected to be open to traffic earlier than that.
The transportation department said that once the new bridge is complete, the communities of Brunswick and Topsham will be connected by a safe and reliable span located on a curved upstream alignment that will feature enhancements requested by a local design advisory committee.
Designed and built to last for at least 100 years, the replacement bridge will have sidewalks on both sides with pedestrian viewing bump-outs, wider shoulders on both sides, parks at each end, special railings, lighting, various other design details and unobstructed views of the natural and architectural features of the surrounding Pejepscot Falls site.