The Maine Department of Transportation will use conventional steel girders for both bridges in the Llewellyn Estes Bridge replacement project over the Stillwater River, the agency announced. The approach was chosen to provide a practical path toward completion while technical experts continue assessing the cause of an August 13 span failure.
Maine DOT Commissioner Dale Doughty approved the recommendation after his assessment team determined that conventional steel girders offer the most expeditious option given the bridge supports already in place. "Moving forward with steel girders gives us a practical path toward completing these bridges while we continue the careful engineering work needed to determine what happened," Doughty said.
Most of the foundations and substructure constructed before the collapse will remain in use. The state is awaiting the contractor's final demolition plan for review. Major cleanup and demolition work is expected to begin once the plan is approved and specialized equipment is mobilized to the site. The assessment into the cause of failure is ongoing and will require significant time and complex engineering analysis, according to Maine DOT.