WESTBROOK – After roughly two years of planning between city officials and the Maine Department of Transportation, the construction of a new Bridge Street bridge and pedestrian walkway will begin this winter.

During a special presentation to the City Council Monday, Tim Merritt and Tom Emery of Stantec Consulting, an engineering firm working for the state, outlined the final design for the project, which will combine state and city improvements to the area.

The state’s role is to overhaul the aging bridge, built in 1956, and will include a complete realignment of the intersection of Bridge and Main streets. The $5 million bridge replacement will be funded by the state, with related public improvements paid for by the city.

Improvements will include construction of widened sidewalks, pedestrian amenities, and lighting and streetscape enhancements.

Merritt said a bridge inspection in 2012 exposed the need for its replacement. He said the bridge sees some 12,000 vehicles every day, with that number expected to grow.

Merritt outlined the design of the project, which will see the new bridge traverse diagonally from its current location to the Bridge Street Spur behind the Edwards block, and tie into Main Street at a new intersection.

The section of Bridge Street between Valley Square and the bridge will turn into access for the adjacent businesses. Merritt added that the Edwards block parking lot will be affected by the new street, but will be offset by added Main Street parking.

According to the presentation, the new pedestrian bridge will cross the river in the same location of the current bridge, and offer scenic overlooks on each side. The southerly side will directly connect to the existing Riverwalk, with preliminary studies now in place to explore construction of the Riverwalk on the northern side of the Presumpscot.

“It’s consistent with the city’s master plan of extending the Riverwalk on the north side of the river, and there’s benefits to both the Maine DOT and the city in that decision,” Merritt said, explaining the decision to split the new bridge and pedestrian crossing.

Speaking of the public improvements, Emery said new sidewalks would allow for outside dining, with new landscaping also being added. Emery said the city project falls in line with the city’s goal for getting more foot traffic downtown.

“One of the goals of this whole area was to create a gateway approaching north and south for pedestrians,” he said, adding that each overlook will feature new lighting and seating. “The main accomplishments are the widening of sidewalks for outdoor dining, and enhancement of the pedestrian experience.”

Responses to the design were mostly positive, but concern from councilors included access for emergency vehicles, crosswalk signals, and the possible effect on sewer lines, which Merritt addressed.

Construction crews will also partially use Saccarappa Park as a lay-down area for equipment, but the park will remain in its current state following the project’s completion.

Following the presentation Monday, the City Council voted to approve the municipal and state agreement for the project, as well as approve the state’s acquisition of city land rights. The city will receive $155,650 in compensation for a half-acre of land behind the Edwards block.

According to city documents, the total cost of the non-bridge components is about $1.8 million, but after offsetting grants and state compensation, costs to Westbrook will fall to under $1 million.

The council also approved funding for a survey for the Riverwalk North project at a cost of $112,000. However, $94,600 will be offset by grant funding.

“The city has an unbelievable opportunity to expand the public’s physical, visual and recreational access to the greatest natural feature of Westbrook’s downtown, the Presumpscot River,” said City Administrator Jerre Bryant in his council memo.

Merritt said the construction advertisement is scheduled for October, with an early winter start date. Both the bridge and public enhancement projects are slated to be complete by winter of 2017.