SOUTH PORTLAND – A scarcity of details regarding a proposal by the Maine Department of Transportation to privatize the operations and maintenance of the Casco Bay Bridge has made it difficult for community leaders in South Portland and Cape Elizabeth to respond.

However, they all agree that smooth operation of the bridge over the Fore River, which connects South Portland and Cape to Portland and communities to the west, is absolutely vital.

After about four years of construction, the $130 million Casco Bay Bridge opened in 1997, as a replacement for the aging Million Dollar Bridge. The Casco Bay Bridge features four lanes of traffic and a drawbridge, which opens to allow for tankers and other commercial boat passage on the river.

The annual cost for operating the bridge runs between $750,000 to just under $1 million, according to Dale Doughty, the director of maintenance and operations for the state Department of Transportation.

Doughty told the Current this week that the state is seeking a private contractor to operate and maintain the bridge both as a way of saving money and of better re-allocating resources toward the department’s core duties.

He said the uniqueness of the Casco Bay Bridge, in terms of the state’s overall transportation system, is one reason why the state is hoping to find a contractor who’s willing and qualified to operate the bridge for “a reasonable cost.”

Under the request for proposals, or RFP, the department issued recently, the state is seeking a contractor for an initial five-year period. However, Doughty said, a contract to privatize bridge operations would only be signed if the bidding process “yields a qualified contractor and an acceptable price.”

He said the state “is always evaluating its duties and assessing where it can best use its workforce,” and for the past 10 years it has “looked for contracting opportunities for activities that are unique (in order to) reallocate its (workforce) to its core duties.”

All bids to operate the bridge are due by Nov. 18. Doughty said the goal is “to have the contract in place soon after the New Year.”

However, he said, the transportation department would carefully “evaluate the benefits and value to the taxpayers” and if the department thinks the bid cost is too high, “we will not move forward.”

Doughty also said he thinks there are private companies in Maine that would be capable of ensuring the smooth operation and maintenance of the Casco Bay Bridge.

“The bid documents will all be assessed based on experience, knowledge of Coast Guard regulations, safety and price,” he added.

Doughty said there are eight full-time bridge operators and one on-call, part-time operator, who are all state employees.

“These positions are unique to this bridge,” he said, and the transportation department is both “assessing their qualifications to determine if they can be placed in other positions” and whether the chosen contractor might hire them.

Overall, Doughty said, the state “is committed to providing the best service at the best value.”

The bid documents, which are available on the transportation department’s website, describes the Casco Bay Bridge as “a large, complex and movable first-class bridge.”

The contractor’s responsibilities involve “conducting day-to-day operation of the bridge and using a computer system to regulate passage of oceangoing vessels,” the documents say.

The documents also call the bridge “a major thoroughfare with heavy vehicular traffic and requirements for frequent openings.” The documents say the frequency of openings averages out at 2.3 every 24 hours.

Under the proposed contract, whoever is chosen to operate the bridge must agree to have two bridge technicians on duty at all times and those operators “may not work more than two consecutive eight-hour shifts.”

In addition, all bridge operators hired by the contractor must pass a Casco Bay Bridge Operator Certification Test, which will be administered by the state.

And, in order to even qualify for consideration, a contractor must have “five or more years of experience in the maintenance of machine-operated, moveable bridges,” according to the bid documents, as well as “knowledge and experience involving Coast Guard regulations for navigable waterways.”

South Portland City Manager Jim Gailey told the Current this week that the Casco Bay Bridge is one of the city’s “most important, primary gateways.”

Estimates put the traffic count on the bridge at more than 32,000 cars per day, and, Gailey said, “we absolutely depend on that bridge to stay open.”

After first hearing about the proposal, Gailey said he couldn’t comment on the plan other than to say, “I hope with any changes we would see the same level of service. If the bridge is not open, our streets become a parking lot.”

He said city leaders in South Portland were not notified about the privatization plan, but added, “I don’t want to second-guess why DOT didn’t reach out. They may have been waiting until the RFPs came back.”

Mayor Linda Cohen said she was “concerned, but not surprised, by the lack of information to the council;” adding, “until I have more information, I’ll have to reserve judgment.”

She also has “a lot of questions, especially when it comes to maintaining such a critical route in and out of our city. Maybe a private entity would take care of all of our roads and bridges better or maybe it’s a recipe for disaster and a slippery slope with no accountability to taxpayers or voters.”

Jane Eberle, president of the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Community Chamber of Commerce, said she also couldn’t comment on the privatization proposal without knowing more, but in general, “smooth, safe and skillful operation of the bridge is critical for all travelers on both sides.”

Both Cape Elizabeth Town Manager Mike McGovern and Council Chairwoman Kathy Ray said they could not comment on the state’s plans for the Casco Bay Bridge without further information.

The nearly 1-mile-long Casco Bay Bridge is the most direct link between South Portland and Cape Elizabeth to Portland and communities to the west. Now, the Maine Department of Transportation is considering privatizing bridge operations. Staff photo by Kate Irish Collins