The Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) shifted westbound traffic on U.S. Highway 202/Western Avenue in Augusta to a temporary bridge on Jan. 25 as part of the ongoing work to replace the route's former road bridge over Interstate 95.
The shift was done so that MaineDOT crews could demolish the existing structure and continue construction of a new bridge to carry Western Avenue traffic over I-95 at Exit 109. The state agency's plan calls for vehicles to continue using the temporary structure until the new permanent bridge is fully built and opened.
As the project's contractor, Reed & Reed Inc. in Woolwich, Maine, is allowed 11 months to complete the bridge construction. MaineDOT noted that the contract amount for the job is approximately $30 million.
Crews also will be closing the left-hand turn lane from Western Avenue onto Whitten Road at the intersection of the two streets. Westbound drivers who want to access Whitten Road can use the southbound interstate on-ramps to access the new connection between the interstate on-ramp and Whitten.
Traffic on Western Avenue will be narrowed to one eastbound lane and one westbound lane, with a third lane on the bridge specific to the westbound off-ramp traffic. Vehicles will continue to use the temporary bridge until the new permanent bridge is constructed and opened at the end of 2025.
At approximately 70 years old, the existing Western Avenue bridge, according to MaineDOT, is structurally deficient and has deteriorated to the point that the end of its useful life is near. It will be replaced by a new structure on a similar alignment with a two-span steel girder with a concrete bridge deck structure and concrete substructure units found on bedrock.
The state agency noted that the new overpass also will provide additional vertical clearance over I-95 to help avoid over-height vehicle strikes.
As part of the overall project, crews also will work to build new sidewalks, in addition to reconstructing old walkways — in all, approximately 1,350 ft. long — along Western Avenue and Whitten Road. By doing so, the state will achieve its goal of connecting pedestrian access along both sides of each respective roadway to create significantly safer access through the area.
On-site construction for the Augusta project first began in November 2023. MaineDOT has said that the entire Western Avenue corridor work is slated to be completed in June 2026.
Salmon Falls Bridge Likely to Go Out for Bid This Fall
A new Salmon Falls Bridge over the Saco River in Maine, on U.S. Highway 202 between Buxton and Hollis, is expected to be built in 2026.
Paul Merrill, a MaineDOT spokesperson, confirmed that the new bridge will be a full replacement. The current 26-ft.-wide structure on the heavily traveled truck route was built 77 years ago.
"We're planning to put the bridge replacement construction contract out to bid later this year — likely October," Merrill said recently in an email to the American Journal, a weekly newspaper covering the Maine towns of Buxton, Gorham, Westbrook and the surrounding region south of Portland.
He expects the project to start and end during the 2026 construction season.
Julie Brask, a MaineDOT senior project manager, said in an email to the American Journal Jan. 22 that the rebuild would detour traffic from U.S. 202 to Maine Highway 4A through the village of Bar Mills.
"During the detour, temporary traffic signals will be in place at two locations along the detour route — one at the intersection of Route 4A and Route 117, and the other at the intersection of Route 4A and Route 112," she noted.
The anticipated total cost of the replacement bridge has risen from $8 million last January to $10.4 million one year later, the Journal learned.
MaineDOT engineers determined that the Salmon Falls Bridge was determined in poor condition and too narrow for bicycle and pedestrian use.
Brask said plans for the new structure call for it be 32 ft. wide "curb-to-curb," with two 11-ft. travel lanes and 5-ft. shoulders.
Devan Eaton, a former bridge project manager for MaineDOT, told the American Journal that the new design will be for a clear span without the need for piers in the river.
Additionally, he said its railings will be designed to be taller than the present 3-ft. height in part to discourage daredevil youth from jumping from the bridge to the water below.
