WESTBROOK – Residents near the Whitney Bridge on Duck Pond Road in Westbrook are expecting something less than a quiet summer this year – construction begins in June on a new bridge.

On April 10, Eric Dudley, city engineer, told residents in the area the construction will begin at 7 a.m. on June 17 and will continue until mid to late August, in order to avoid rerouting school bus routes in the area.

Whitney Bridge, located less than 800 feet from the major intersection at Duck Pond Road, Hardy Road and Route 302, will be removed during construction, thus cutting off the direct path to any homes down the road.

By heading farther south on Route 302 or by taking Blackstrap Road, residents can get to their homes, but some neighbors already are planning for the disruption the extended drive will create.

Debbie Ivers lives on the side closer to the Duck Pond intersection and works in Cumberland, while her neighbor works in Portland and lives on the opposite side. The closed road will affect both when they try to get to work each morning.

“We’ve been joking the past couple of months that we’d leave the cars in each other’s drive way and make a little foot bridge just up stream,” Ivers said.

Ivers said the neighborhood affected is close-knit, with many growing up in the area. While some will be more affected than others, everyone will come together to make creative solutions for the temporary problem.

“It needs to be fixed. It’s been dilapidated for a long time and it does need to be fixed and the road around it needs to be fixed. We need to take care of it now before it gets any worse,” Ivers said.

Other services, like mail delivery, fire and police, have all been notified the bridge will be torn down. Dudley said all safety services have a database that routes vehicles to their destinations and those databases have already been updated to show the road closure.

Whitney Bridge crosses Duck Pond Road over Mill Brook just downstream from the Highland Lake Dam. The bridge was constructed in the 1950s and is only 18 feet long.

The bridge was inspected in late 2011 and was rated in poor condition by the Maine Department of Transportation because of the abutments and bridge deck. Dudley said pieces have begun falling off of the span. Because the bridge is only 18 feet in length, the state does not own the connector, unlike other larger bridges in the city, including the Cumberland Mills Bridge and the Bridge Street span.

During construction, an additional 12 feet will be added to the length. Dudley the state will own the bridge after construction is done, so future improvements will be covered by the state.

“You won’t really notice it [the expansion] because it slops off in the back,” Dudley said.

The width of the bridge will also be expanded by four feet to meet new width standards, aid fish passage and improve safety for larger delivery services,

In 2011, the Westbrook City Council approved $45,000 for bridge designs. Dudley said the city had just gotten initial construction bids back and the low bid was for $200,000. The council will need to approve it before the project moves forward.

Dudley said the bridge project was part of the 2013 capital improvement program. The program closed out a number of projects this year, and the balance in the program is being put toward the new span.

The City Council will vote on awarding the bid during the next council meeting on Monday, April 22, at 7 p.m. in Westbrook High School room 114.

The Whitney Bridge on Duck Pond Road in Westbrook will be torn town and replaced this summer. Staff photo by Suzanne Hodgson