BUXTON – Trying to preserve its neighborhood, Hollis and Buxton residents voiced concerns Tuesday, but heard little from transportation officials in a meeting about future state plans for the deteriorating Bar Mills Bridge.

Options include rehabbing the aging, narrow structure over the Saco River or constructing a modern bridge up to 32 feet wide in the quaint area called Bar Mills. The river divides the towns of Buxton and Hollis.

If the state opted for a new bridge, residents living nearby fear historic homes would be razed to make way and neighborhood togetherness destroyed. Maine Department of Transportation representatives said in Tuesday’s meeting in Hollis a decision would come in the spring.

“I would be devastated if eminent domain came to our village,” Cindy Drane of Hollis, who lives in an 1823 home, said after Tuesday’s meeting. “They’re beautiful antique houses.

Many of an estimated 60 people that filled a Hollis town meeting room appeared to favor repairing what are actually two existing structures – Bar Mills Bridge, 512 feet in length, and Canal Bridge, 139 feet – in their village. The Bar Mills Bridge was dedicated in 1938 as a memorial for World War I veterans from the two towns.

The back-to-back bridges, 75 years old, both received major rehabs in 1987. The spans got new decks and steel trusses painted. But now, a quarter century has taken its toll.

Garrett Gustafson, a Department of Transportation engineer with the bridge program, showed bridge photos depicting rust and salt damage, deteriorated steel structure members and eroded concrete exposing steel reinforcement bars.

“The bridges are safe,” Gustafson said, but added underneath conditions are not good and superstructures are poor.

Transportation officials said deterioration would accelerate unless something is done.

“The Maine Department of Transportation has failed in maintenance of that bridge,” Steve Drane of Hollis said in the meeting.

Nate Benoit, transportation department project engineer, said a future project would be necessary.

“We don’t have any agenda coming in,” Benoit said. “We do not have any construction dollars for this project at this time.”

Benoit said the purpose of Tuesday’s meeting was to hear from local citizens. Bert Genest of Bar Mills said it’s a beautiful neighborhood praised by tourists. “I’m not for a new bridge,” Genest said.

Officials said the present bridge is not high enough for today’s trucks and is narrow at 22 feet. They also believe paint on the existing bridge might contain lead and it would be costly to remove.

A state spokesman previously said the bridge is nearing the end of its life expectancy.

“A truss is a bad design for longevity,” David Sherlock of the transportation department said in Tuesday’s meeting.

Up to 4,000 vehicles per day, including tractor-trailers, travel over the bridge, and some residents aired safety fears about the amount of traffic and speeding.

“There’s so many big trucks,” Cindy Drane said, “it’s beyond deadly.

Genest was among residents who advocated keeping huge trucks off the bridge, routing the big rigs to the Route 202 bridge. But, Sherlock, said the state does not arbitrarily post a bridge for weight limits.

“It would have to be a safety reason to remove trucks from a state road,” Sherlock said, advising residents to contact law enforcement authorities about speeding.

Gustafson said the posted speed limit on the bridge is 30 miles per hour. The crowd laughed.

The state’s preliminary engineering will be done during the upcoming winter to develop a “game plan,” Benoit said. Responding to a question from Hollis Selectman Ben Severance, Benoit said a bridge rehab at the site would be very expensive.

Construction of a project in Bar Mills could begin in 2013.

The state has 300 bridges on a watch list, but it only has funding for 30 bridge projects per year.

“It will have to compete with other projects in the state,” Benoit said.

Mike Robinson of Buxton asked whether the Bar Mills Bridge could be limited to pedestrian traffic and Benoit said that also could be an option to look at. Transportation officials said it would take all citizens’ comments into consideration in developing plans.

Straightening the road near the bridge is also a concern.

“The approaches are a key issue for everyone here,” Brent Hill of Buxton said.