Southport Bridge Rehabilitation

Marine Traffic - Update 9/18/24

The Southport Swing Bridge will be closed to moveable bridge operations beginning September 30, 2024 through May 16, 2025. The last day of operation for 2024 will be September 29th. Boats that have adequate vertical clearance may continue to pass under the bridge unrestricted during this closure. Vehicular traffic over the bridge will not be impacted. Please continue to monitor the U.S.C.G Local Notice to mariners for updates. The Local Notice to Mariners can be viewed on the Safety Notices page for this project.

Vehicle Traffic

Traffic on the bridge has now been reduced to one lane while the Contractor begins work to replace the bridge deck and perform structural repairs. Lane width during this time will be 11'-0" and the lane closure will be in place until May 17, 2025 at the completion of the project. Traffic is being controlled by temporary traffic signals. Please pull up the white stop bars so that the signals sense a waiting vehicle.

The Maine Department of Transportation will be rehabilitating the moveable Southport Bridge that carries Route 27 over the Townsend Gut at the Boothbay Harbor/Southport town line. Specifically, this work will involve replacing elements of the bridge structure, overhauling the electrical and control system, replacing mechanical equipment, and adding safety features.

Mobilization of the site started earlier in October. Construction work is scheduled to begin on October 30th. Crews will be on site, installing traffic control items in advance of the start of work. The anticipated project completion date is May 29th, 2025. Pedestrian access to the bridge will not be restricted during construction.

During construction, there will be an alternating single-lane traffic pattern on the bridge. There will be limited times when the contractor is allowed to close the bridge to vehicle traffic between 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. to install mechanical equipment and perform functional testing of the bridge. Emergency vehicles will still be permitted to cross the bridge during these closures.

There will be two periods of time when the bridge will not be able to open to allow the passage of marine traffic. The first closure period is scheduled from this month to May 17th, 2024. The second closure period is scheduled from September 30th, 2024 to May 17th, 2025. The U.S. Coast Guard has implemented a safety zone around the work area effective from October 23rd, 2023 through May 17, 2024.

The contractor on this project is Cianbro of Pittsfield. The contract amount is $20.9 million. This project was awarded a $7.64-million federal BUILD grant in 2020.

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