One span of the new Llewellyn Estes Bridge collapsed during concrete placement on August 14 over the Stillwater River in Old Town, Maine. The state Department of Transportation is conducting a thorough review to determine the factors that led to the failure.
MaineDOT has engaged the Federal Highway Administration's Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center to provide expert assistance and independent analysis. The state has completed an inspection of the temporary bridge currently carrying traffic at the site and determined the structure is sound and safe for continued use.
A forensic analysis involving MaineDOT, bridge beam designer and fabricator Basalt Engineering International, general bridge contractor Reed & Reed, Inc., the Advanced Structures and Composites Center, and the Federal Highway Administration's Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center is underway. A temporary daytime closure on Wednesday, August 26, will allow personnel to safely access and inspect the site. Traffic will be rerouted along an established detour route.
The Llewellyn Estes Bridges carry Stillwater Avenue over two channels of the Stillwater River. MaineDOT is replacing the two bridges and is currently directing traffic over the temporary bridge. The new bridges were not open to motorists at the time of the incident.