The Pleasant Avenue Crossing Bridge, where Pleasant Hill Road crosses over a CSX rail line in Scarborough, will likely be closed for two weekends for maintenance in either 2025 or 2026.

The Maine Department of Transportation is seeking input from the town and public for which weekends would make the most sense to close the busy bridge.

The 74-foot bridge, built in 1998, is roughly 0.8 miles south of where Pleasant Hill Road intersects with Route 1. Overall the bridge is in good condition, according to Maine DOT, but the surface is in need of maintenance.

“An analogy we often use is it’s like replacing the roofing on your home to prevent leaks and structural deterioration,” said Brian Nichols, project manager, in a Maine DOT informational video.

“While the project’s scope is straightforward, maintaining traffic during construction is less straightforward,” he said.

The crossing sees an average of 12,040 vehicles per day, according to Maine DOT, and is a well-traveled corridor during the morning and evening commutes.

The amount of usage deterred the department from attempting to close a lane to permit alternating one-way traffic. Overnight road closures were also ruled out as it did not provide enough time in a single shift for workers to complete both the membrane and asphalt portions of the road resurfacing.

Maine DOT is instead proposing to close the bridge for two separate weekends in either fall 2025, spring 2026 or fall 2026. The bridge would be closed from the end of the Friday evening rush to the start of the Monday morning commute. During that time, traffic would be detoured via Pleasant Hill Road, Route 77 and Route 207 (Black Point Road).

Nichols said the town will be consulted to come up with several options for weekend closures for the contractor to decide from and input from the public will also be used to inform that decision.

For more information on the project and to provide input, go to scarboroughmaine.org/stay-connected/town-news and navigate to the Maine DOT project’s page.