The Maine Dept. of Transportation Bridge Program will hold a public meeting to discuss the replacement of Davis Bridge No. 2 on Goose Hill Road over Davis Stream in Jefferson at 6 p.m. on March 10 at the Jefferson Town Hall.
This is a preliminary fact-finding meeting; construction isn’t scheduled to start until summer 2011, said Project Manager Steve Bodge.
“Usually the locals know more about the site than we do,” Bodge said.
The meeting is a chance for MDOT to hear local perspectives on the project and to gather information on traffic problems, flooding, and conditions at the site that they may not know already.
Bodge encourages anyone with knowledge of the site to attend the meeting. Another meeting will be held in the fall if needed, Bodge said.
Davis Bridge No. 2 was selected from among bridges around the state based on the necessity to replace it, Bodge said. MDOT rates all the bridges and this one is towards the top of the list, Bodge said.
The state has set aside $500,000 for engineering and construction, but it’s too early to determine the exact cost of the project, Bodge said.
“Similar sites have cost that much, but there are a lot of factors that affect projects like these,” Bodge said. “Sometime they cost a lot more, sometimes a lot less.”
MDOT will design the bridge and construction will be contracted to a private firm, likely from Maine.
“This isn’t a large enough project to draw out-of-state bids,” Bodge said.
Bidding for the project will be held next spring if everything stays on schedule, Bodge said.
