Barter’s Island Bridge Tops List of DOT Projects in Lincoln County

Rehabilitation of Boothbay’s Barter’s Island Bridge, a traffic signal at the intersection of Routes 1 and 27 in Wiscasset, and easement acquisition for Wiscasset Municipal

Airport are among approximately 50 projects in the Maine Department of Transportation’s three-year work plan for Lincoln County.

The work plan for 2015, 2016, and 2017, which was released Jan. 12, also has projects listed for new sidewalks in Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor and paving on

Routes 17 and 126 in Somerville and Jefferson.

With a price tag of $4.25 million, rehabilitation of the Barter’s Island Bridge in Boothbay is the work plan’s most expensive single project in Lincoln County. The

project is in its preliminary stages, DOT spokesman Ted Talbot said, and the DOT is currently searching for consultants to handle the project’s design.

The Barter’s Island Bridge is a manually operated swing bridge that crosses the Back River on Barter’s Island Road in Boothbay. According to Talbot, the project will

focus on replacing the swing span in the center of the bridge. Maintenance of traffic and boat navigation are major concerns for the project. Those concerns will be addressed in

the project’s design, Talbot said.

The DOT is considering building a temporary bridge adjacent to the Barter’s Island Bridge to handle traffic while the bridge is rehabilitated. They are also

considering closing the channel to boat traffic in the off-season while work is being done.

The DOT is planning to hold public meetings in March or April to inform the public about the project and hear community concerns, Talbot said. Bidding for the

project is slated to begin in 2017.

The paving of approximately 5 miles on Route 17 in Somerville and Jefferson is the second-highest-priced project in the work plan with an estimated cost of $1.085

million. The project will lay a ¾-inch coat of asphalt on the roadway to level the road and allow for water drainage.

Route 126 in Jefferson will also be paved with a ¾-inch overlay at an estimated cost of $847,500. The project will begin at the Whitefield town line and extend west

for approximately 4 miles.

The paving projects along Route 17 and Route 126 are slated to begin in the summer of 2015. The projects have not yet been sent out to bid. The DOT anticipates

naming a contractor for both projects in April, Talbot said.

Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor will also see new sidewalks in 2016-2017.

In Boothbay Harbor, new sidewalks will be installed along Route 27 to connect the YMCA and school to the sidewalks in the center of town. The estimated cost of the

project is $670,856.

In Damariscotta, a new sidewalk will be installed along Bristol Road to connect the LincolnHealth – Miles Campus to downtown businesses and neighborhoods. The

sidewalk will stretch for approximately 1 mile from Main Street down Bristol Road to the hospital complex and will cost $489,620.

The project to install traffic signals at the intersection of Gardiner Road (Route 27) and Route 1 in Wiscasset will move ahead for 2015.

The project calls for the extension of left-hand turn lanes on both sides of the intersection of Route 27 and Route 1 and the construction of a right-hand turn lane

on Route 27.

According to Talbot, the project will include the installation of traffic signals at the intersection of Route 27 and Route 1 with signals for pedestrian crossings.

The project will also construct new sidewalks along Bradford Street and Route 1. The project will cost approximately $620,000 with construction scheduled for

September through December to avoid peak summer traffic, Talbot said.

The DOT work plan also lists two projects for the Wiscasset Municipal Airport that include easement acquisition necessary to remove obstructions, such as trees, from

the airport’s protected airspace.

According to Scott Rollins, the DOT’s assistant director of bureau planning, the DOT provides technical support for public airports and works with the Federal

Aviation Administration to fund projects.

The FAA will not fund projects that are outside the safety concerns listed in the airport’s master plan, Rollins said. The FAA and the DOT will, however, fund

projects directed at addressing the safety concerns listed by the FAA, such as the obstruction of protected airspace from trees growing in property abutting the airport, Rollins

said.

The DOT allocated $206,000 to support the Wiscasset Municipal Airport in obtaining an easement along its northeast side for 2015. In 2016, $412,000 was allocated for

easement acquisition along the southwest side of the airport, the location of the Chewonki Campground.

The FAA is also planning on funding the easement, Rollins said, although their allocation to the project is contingent on annual grant applications due by May.

Negotiations for the easements are handled by the town and the property owners, Rollins said.