By J.W. Oliver
The South Bristol swing bridge opens for the South Bristol fishing vessel Comin or Goin on Friday, June 27. Rockland-based Cianbro Corp. has
submitted the low bid of $10.9 million to replace the aging swing bridge with a new drawbridge. (Tim Badgley photo)
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The Maine Department of Transportation plans to hire the Rockland firm Cianbro Corp. to replace the South Bristol swing bridge.
Cianbro submitted the low bid of $10.9 million, department spokesman Ted Talbot said. The state has yet to officially award the bid. “The process hasn’t been completed, so all
we can say is they are the apparent low bidder,” Talbot said.
The bid exceeds the state’s project estimate by almost $3 million, but the high price tag will not slow the project. “This will not stop the project or the timeline,” Talbot
said.
The department attributes the high price to several factors: the unique design of the new drawbridge, the need for a temporary bridge during construction, the “tight spaces”
crews will have to work in, and issues regarding environmental regulations.
The department will have more information about the project schedule after it awards the bid. “The preconstruction meeting and the construction itself will start shortly after
the award is complete,” Talbot said.
The state still intends for construction to start in 2014.
