Rep. Hepler, D-Woolwich, on Tuesday, a bill that would officially name a bridge in Dresden the Veterans Memorial Bridge. The bridge crosses the Eastern River, just upstream from where it enters the Kennebec River on Route 128 in Dresden.

“Our service members give so much to us, and it is only right that we honor them as they deserve,” said Hepler in a news release. “It is long past time that we officially name this bridge to remind all who drive on it of our veterans’ sacrifices.”

Although dedicated as the “Veterans Memorial Bridge” in 1955, the Maine Department of Transportation confirmed that the bridge never officially received a name change, according to the release. There is a metal sign in the middle of the bridge that cannot be read as drivers cross.

“It is perhaps easiest to think of this bill as a bridge rededication, rather than a bridge naming, as there currently is a hard-to-read plaque on the bridge stating that it is the ‘Veteran Memorial Bridge,’” said Sen. Eloise Vitelli, D-Arrowsic, the cosponsor of the bill, in the release. “In the process of trying to get new signs stating this locally-known fact, however, we all learned that is not technically what the bridge is named, and so we submitted this bill.”

If the bill becomes law, MDOT would provide appropriate signage that would be readily visible to everyone.