The Frank J. Wood Bridge between Brunswick and Topsham. Ben McCanna / Portland Press Herald file photo
After nearly a decade of planning and litigation delays, construction of the Frank J. Wood Bridge replacement connecting Brunswick and Topsham is expected to begin later this spring.
Woolwich-based Reed & Reed, the general contractor chosen by the Maine Department of Transportation for the project, is scheduled to start work sometime around June, Brunswick Town Manager John Eldridge said this week.
The $49.9 million project must be completed by the fall of 2026, though it’s expected to open to traffic earlier than that, according to MDOT spokesperson Paul Merrill. Timetables for when the Frank J. Wood Bridge will close to traffic and when the new bridge will open are still being finalized, he added.
“We are moving forward to deliver a new bridge for the people of Brunswick, Topsham and the surrounding communities,” Merrill said in a statement. “The new bridge will be safe, reliable and serve all users well, including motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists.”
The bridge has long been the subject of litigation. A local group, the Friends of the Frank J. Wood Bridge, formed to advocate for repairing the existing bridge as a historic structure. In a recent statement, the Friends group argued MDOT was moving forward with the replacement “in spite of clear evidence that rehabilitation of the historic bridge is far less expensive.” The group filed another lawsuit in 2019 that the transportation department blamed for prolonging the bridge replacement, more than tripling the cost of the project.
The 805-foot, steel truss bridge was built in 1932. In October 2021, the transportation department set a weight limit of 10 tons, meaning large vehicles like fire trucks can’t cross it. That worried town officials who also said pieces of the bridge have been falling into the Androscoggin River.
“Every single day, that bridge is worsening,” Topsham Select Board Chairperson David Douglass said at a meeting last month when the board signed a proclamation backing the bridge’s replacement. “That thing’s dropping stuff into that river repeatedly, whether it be rusted parts or, I guarantee you, there is some form of lead paint left on that thing and it’s dropping in the river. … It’s time that we just move forward with this process.”
The Brunswick Town Council agreed, approving a resolution last month that urged the preservation groups to drop their legal fight.
“The Town Council of the Town of Brunswick urges the plaintiffs to respect the public and legal processes that have occurred to date and forego any further legal action that would continue to delay the construction of a new bridge, necessary for the public’s safety, welfare and convenience,” the resolution reads.
The new bridge is expected to last 100 years, the MDOT said. It will have sidewalks on both sides, pedestrian viewing “bump-outs,” wider shoulders, parks on both ends and “unobstructed views of the natural and architectural features of the surrounding Pejepscot Falls,” according to the transportation department.
“There will also be viewing areas and amenities off the bridge in both towns with connections to local parks and connecting trails to create attractive public spaces that will enhance the natural beauty and historic importance of the area,” Merrill said.
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