State inspection shows 4 Somerset County bridges need repairs, including potential $1 million replacement

Somerset County seal.

SKOWHEGAN — Four Somerset County bridges need repairs, including one structure in Lexington that could cost taxpayers up to $1 million to replace.

A recent state inspection revealed three bridges need new guardrails and minor maintenance: the Clark and Michael Stream bridges in Lexington and the Bog Brook Bridge in Dead River. Officials estimate the repairs will cost between $5,000 and $8,000 per bridge, though they have not finalized those figures.

The future of the Upper Sandy Stream Bridge in Lexington remains less clear. The county paid Calderwood Engineering $33,200 earlier this year to study replacement costs, which Calderwood estimated at $750,000 to $780,000 — a bill unorganized territory taxpayers must foot. Commissioners plan to ask the Maine Department of Transportation how long the bridge can operate under reduced weight limits before taking further action.

In the meantime, officials said the bridges are safe for traffic to pass.

Robert Lightbody, a road consultant with Maine Highlands Development, presented findings from his inspection of five county bridges to the commission. He noted that while the Bog Brook, Clark, and Michael Stream bridges need new guardrails, the Cool Road Bridge in Concord needs no repairs.

Lightbody estimated total maintenance for the three bridges at $15,000 to $24,000, but said he must conduct further research before offering a final figure.

Lightbody expressed skepticism about the Upper Sandy Stream Bridge estimate, warning commissioners that Calderwood’s figure was low.

“I would be really, really surprised if that came in under a million dollars,” Lightbody said.

District 4 Commissioner John Alsop questioned how closing the bridge would affect residents.

“If this bridge is taken out tomorrow,” he said, “what does that do to traffic flow in that area?”

David Spencer, coordinator for Somerset’s unorganized territory, or UT, said the impact on traffic would be minimal.

“There will be some minor delays for a few people,” he said, “but we’re talking minutes.”

Alsop also raised concerns about the financial impact on residents, asking whether the “burden of replacing the bridge falls primarily on the UT taxpayers.”

Although commissioners agreed that unorganized territory taxpayers must fund the replacement, Spencer said the county can flexibly allocate money from its roughly $3 million budget.

The county could deduct bridge and guardrail costs from funds already allocated for road and bridge maintenance, Spencer said. Next year’s budget includes “$600,000 already put down for bridges,” he said, adding that additional money in the current road budget could also be reallocated for bridgework.

If the bridge is not repaired, county officials will likely have to lower its weight limit repeatedly over the coming years.

District 2 Commissioner Don Skillings questioned how long that approach could work.

“If we choose not to fix this bridge, how long can we reasonably expect to exist where our homeowners aren’t affected?” Skillings said.

Commissioners said they were unsure how long the bridge would last if left alone or subjected to stricter weight limits, agreeing to consult MaineDOT for guidance.

District 5 Commissioner Joel Stetkis stressed that emergency access should guide any decisions on weight limits.

“When it gets to that level where the weight has to be reduced enough to where a tanker truck can’t get over,” Stetkis said, “that’s where it gets dangerous.”

The commission’s next meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21.

Kevin Mann is a Community Reporting Fellow receiving training through the Journalism New England Career Lab to do civic reporting that provides people in towns across New England with the information they need to be engaged in their community.