The 84-year old Frank J. Wood Bridge between Brunswick and Topsham is structurally deficient, doesn’t have enough room for pedestrians and bicyclists, and needs to be replaced. Given the value that we place on history and local control, that can be a tough pill to swallow. Thus it is understandable that some good people will react with skepticism, want to save the old bridge, and maybe even take some unwarranted shots at the messenger, MaineDOT. Change is hard. But there is good news from experience in other Maine towns where some people felt the same way: We will love our new bridge.

The reasons we need a new bridge are straightforward:

Bridges Don’t Last Forever

When well built and maintained, bridges last about as long as people do. The existing bridge is 84 years old. That’s a good long life. Even if the state spent the $10 million or so that it would take to strengthen, patch, and paint it and add a second sidewalk as desired by the towns, we would get only 30 more years of bridge life. Of course, old bridge supporters will want a rehab to cost less and last longer. But as anyone who has renovated an old house knows, things usually get worse, not better, once you start tearing things apart. Most people will accept the unbiased judgments of state professional bridge engineers who have the training, experience and obligation to make state bridge engineering decisions.

Safety Must Be Primary

Although the old bridge is safe today, it is what engineers call a “fracture critical, non-redundant structure.” This means that there are few if any back-up support beams and if the old bridge fails, it could fail fast. To prevent that, even after a rehab the old bridge would require detailed inspections at least every two years, costing about $60,000 each time.

Rehabilitation Would Be Very Disruptive

To rehabilitate the old bridge, it will need to be closed or restricted to one-way traffic for most of 2 years, and possibly up to 3 years. This would inconvenience commuters and likely devastate local businesses. With a new bridge, the old bridge would continue to be used during construction, and the impact may be as little as a few weeks.

A New Bridge is the Only Cost Effective Solution

The proposed new bridge will cost about $13 million and will last 100 years. Again, the rehab option would cost about $10 million and last 30 years. So for about 30 percent more money, we’ll get more than three times the bridge life. Although we value preservation, we demand public financial discipline, and the new bridge is a fiscal “no-brainer.” MaineDOT is footing the bill in a context of juggling 2,300 bridges and 8,800 miles of highways statewide with inadequate funding. Given this, doubters should ask themselves why MaineDOT would want to spend more up front if they could just “patch and pray” and spend the money elsewhere. The answer is because they have a duty to find a long-term, safe and cost effective solution.

Experience in other towns provides perspective. Near Bucksport, the Waldo-Hancock suspension bridge that carried Route 1 over the Penobscot River reached the end of its useful life after 72 years. Many mourned the loss and wanted to save it or build a larger replica with more sidewalls. Today, the new Penobscot Narrows Bridge seamlessly compliments nearby historic Fort Knox and is an icon to local communities.

In Naples, a moveable swing bridge that carried Route 302 over the waters between Long Lake and Brandy Pond needed improvement after 60 years of service. Again, some local residents wanted to save it, or replace it in kind with more sidewalks. Fast forward a few years, and local officials celebrated “our new bridge” at their ribbon cutting ceremony, the abutting causeway is humming with business activity and area kids take prom photos there this time of year.

The point is that once we engage in a respectful and grounded manner, the project will turn out great.

Let’s work with MaineDOT on their design of the new bridge. My initial reaction to it was that it provides liberating open vistas, greatly enhances the pedestrian and bicycle experience, and has a simple and utilitarian look that fits the site’s industrial past. Others disagree, and that’s OK. Let’s collaborate, evaluate, and offer reasonable suggestions to MaineDOT. They will continue to listen and work with us.

Perhaps we can honor the site’s history with a riverfront park near its Topsham abutment including interpretive panels highlighting its early place name (Pejepscot Falls), previous bridges, mills, floods, etc. Perhaps we can calm traffic and add character through the use of materials, textures, colors, or striping. Perhaps we can make it “ours” with suggestions regarding railings, lighting, ties to the Riverwalk, and the pedestrian bumpouts. Other ideas will emerge. Some will work; some won’t. But in the end, the process will work, and in a few years, we will love our new bridge.

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Bruce Van Note owns a home near the bridge and a is Topsham Planning Board member. A UMaine engineering graduate, he has worked as a surveyor, lawyer, mediator and at MaineDOT in executive policy positions under three Maine governors. He is the director of Policy and Planning at the Maine Turnpike Authority.