I hope you are paying attention, citizens of Brunswick and Topsham. A federally mandated legal process is playing out in the meeting rooms of our two town halls that could affect the economic viability of many businesses in our towns and affect the taxes we pay as well.

It’s a section 106 process. People are speaking on your behalf, and you should know what they are saying.

Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) requires Federal agencies to take into account the effects of their activities on historic properties. The historic property in question is the Frank J. Wood Bridge, which was constructed in 1932. The question is whether the Maine Department of Transportation can replace the bridge or whether instead it should renovate the bridge.

No one doubts that something needs to be done. Rust is degrading the bridge’s structural integrity. Following an inspection this summer, it was posted with a maximum weight of 25 tons. Said Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT), “The inspection team of MaineDOT bridge engineers found rapid deterioration of structural steel which triggered a drop in the ranking of the bridge deck and superstructure from fair condition to poor condition.”

Last spring, MDOT announced a plan to replace the bridge. That is when the section 106 process was triggered because replacement of the bridge could have an “adverse impact” on historic properties. An organization, the “Friends of the Frank J. Wood Bridge,” was formed to press the case that the bridge is too important, too historic, to discard.

The section 106 process began in July. At a succession of meetings MDOT has laid out its understanding of the condition of the bridge, the alternatives (replacements or renovation) and the likely effects on recognized historic structures. At each meeting, the Friends of the Frank J. Wood Bridge have pressed their case. They question almost every assertion MDOT makes about condition, costs, setting and historic significance. Theirs are nearly the only voices from Topsham or Brunswick to be heard. Sometimes they suggest that they speak for nearly all of us.

Costs rarely play any part in the public arguments of the Friends of the Frank J. Wood Bridge. And when MDOT has put forward numbers showing renovation to be a costly proposition, the Friends have challenged the competence and integrity of those making the estimates. MDOT’s estimates, however, are very much in line with the costs of bridge renovation projects elsewhere.

I admire citizen advocacy. I respect the conviction of the Friends of the Frank J. Wood Bridge that saving the bridge is of paramount importance to them. But I disagree with them and I expect most others in the community would as well in taking a fuller, sober look at choice before us.

At some point, the economics of the bridge have to be weighed. This state (as many others) is already struggling to find enough money to maintain its bridges and roads. What is the cost to taxpayers of historic renovation vs. the cost of replacement with a new bridge? How much would pursuing either course disrupt now-thriving businesses at either end of the bridge?

A recent study by MDOT’s consultants on the bridge project put the construction cost of a new bridge expected to last 100 years at $13 million. Life cycle costs (adding in the costs of future repairs) would push this to $13.7 million.

On the other hand, renovation of the existing bridge to last 75 years, they estimate, would cost $17 million. This includes the cost of erecting a temporary bridge to carry traffic while the renovation proceeded.

Because of its age and manner of construction, such a renovated bridge would need considerably more maintenance than a new one, pushing its life cycle costs to $23.2 million. Moreover, that needed maintenance would cause much more traffic disruption, with recurring negative consequences for the businesses at either end of the bridge.

Agreed, the Frank J. Wood Bridge is “historic”. But is it worth $10 million more in taxpayer cost to save it? Is it worth months of traffic disruption each of the many times such a renovated bridge would need to be repaired? (Think about that while the bridge is again being repaired this summer.)

Perhaps it is time we stopped letting the Friends of the Frank J. Wood be the only voices heard. The economic vitality of the towns at either end of the bridge is at stake. History counts, but the bridge is an artery that gives present life to both Brunswick and Topsham.

Doug Bennett is a member of the Brunswick/Topsham Bridge Design Committee.