Kim Suhr, vice president of the construction firm Wyman & Simpson, is hoping work on the Donald E. Davey Bridge, connecting Wiscasset and Edgecomb, will wrap up by the end of this week.
Striping on the bridge went on June 4, and a little more work remains on the northbound approach to the bridge, Suhr said.
The $1.1 million project included stripping the paved surface off the bridge, replacing drainage grates along the outer edges of the roadway, and replacing the bridge joints.
The joints were taken out in halves during the night when the project was allowed to limit traffic to one lane, and temporary plating was installed until the new joints could be installed, Suhr said.
Minor concrete repairs were needed, but fewer than the Department of Transportation had originally anticipated, Suhr said. As a part of the work, the company installed a waterproof membrane on top of the concrete to keep chlorides from winter salt from breaking down the concrete, he said.
With the type of work required, the company did run into some issues waiting for dry and warm weather, Suhr said.
“We had plenty of time to prepare and plan accordingly; we wanted to try to get done as much as we could before the traffic got real bad. It seemed to go pretty well,” he said.
Though the company may complete the project up to a week ahead of the planned June 14 completion date, Suhr said they will receive no bonus for doing so. The DOT had a very tight window for the project to be done, he said.
“They basically wanted you to get in and out as soon as you could,” Suhr said.