Economics will be pitted against history at a public hearing in January 2008 about revised plans to replace the bridge on the Naples Causeway (Route 302).

At the meeting, Naples residents will be asked to comment on a state plan to build a fixed span instead of one that would open for boat traffic because the cost of a moveable bridge has become too exorbitant.

In addressing the Naples Selectboard meeting Monday, Jim Wentworth, a project manager for the Maine Department of Transportation, said details were still being worked out for a revised plan, but estimated that a 12-foot high fixed span between Long Lake and Brandy Ponds could save as much as $11 million.

Firmer plans should be revealed at a Jan. 30, 2008 public hearing at Songo Locks Elementary School. A snow date of Feb. 6, 2008 is also scheduled.

While the intent to finish construction by 2010 remains the same, and Wentworth said the height of the bridge would accommodate 90 to 95 percent of the boat traffic between the waterways, the effect of shutting off access to the remaining 5 or 10 percent of boat traffic carries economic implications that worry business owners and town officials.

Early estimates pegged the cost of a new moveable span at around $11 million, Wentworth said, but a lack of state expertise on building such spans required outside consultations.

Plans to lift the bridge span with hydraulics alone proved impractical because of the height of the bridge and shallow channel underneath meant machinery would have to be housed in a 20-by-40-foot building. Using counterweights to work with a hydraulic lift mean either digging a pit for them or placing them overhead on the bridge.

The estimate for a moveable bridge has risen to $18 million; Wentworth said a fixed span was not expected to be more than $7 million and could cost as little as $2 million. Wentworth also estimated that a fixed bridge could save more than $100 million in operation costs, given an 80-year lifespan.

The numbers come as a transportation department report on bridge conditions statewide calls for replacing 30 to 40 bridges annually to keep up with needed work instead of 14. The report also calls for doubling state spending to $120 million annually for bridge repairs and replacement just as Gov. Baldacci has ordered $38 million in spending cuts immediately.

Throughout town, there is plenty of understanding of the state financial squeeze and praise for Wentworth’s work to move the bridge project forward, but it is tempered by the potential ripple effect a fixed bridge would cause.

At 12 feet high, a fixed bridge offers only half the clearance needed for the Songo River Queen II to make its daily trips from the mooring on Long Lake down through the Songo Locks.

Riverboat excursions have been a Naples tourist attraction for almost 40 years, both through the locks and on Long Lake. But the trip through the locks is by far the bigger draw, according to Carl Talbot, who manages the boat, accounting for at least 60 percent of the revenue during a season lasting a little more than two months.

Talbot said he and boat owner Frank Gerrish had developed plans for excursions in 2009 when a temporary bridge was supposed to have blocked channel access to Brandy Pond, but what to do about a permanent fixed bridge was still unknown.

The Songo River Queen II requires more than 100 feet of mooring space; land would be hard to come by on the shores of Brandy Pond. Even if space were found, docking there would eliminate the Long Lake cruises offering sunset views of the White Mountains or charter trips that augment summer revenues.

At Naples Marina on Brandy Pond, owner Jim Allen agreed with the assessment that a fixed bridge would eliminate access for about 10 percent of his current customers.

The potential loss of business from owners of cruisers and sailboats will be felt beyond his boat slips, he said, as the boat owners generally stay for weekends or vacations and spend money in town.

“I understand where they are coming from,” Allen said about the state. “They don’t understand the history and the change it would bring to this town.”

For more than 100 years, boaters have been able to pass from Harrison to Sebago Lake with the only delays occurring as they work their way through the Songo Locks and wait for the causeway bridge to open every two hours on the even hour.

Allen said the owners potentially affected by a lack of access generally stay for weekends or vacations, and losing their business to other marinas would affect local stores and restaurants as well as his bottom line.

Dan Allen, owner of the Causeway Marina, is not related to Jim Allen by blood, but will be by economics if the state’s decision on the bridge remains fixed.

Dan Allen estimated that 30 of the boats using his 75 slips would need a moveable bridge to get from his Brandy Pond Marina to Long Lake, and mentioned also that a fixed bridge could prevent repair barges from getting to Long Lake as well.

The effect of bridge construction on his marina had not bothered him despite the Causeway frontage. The revision to a fixed bridge frustrates him; he sees it as the result of a history of bad spending decisions that have stripped away highway funds over the years.

“What rights do we have because someone screwed up and didn’t save money?” he asked.

Those rights are of interest to Naples Town Manager Derik Goodine, who said he would prefer a movable bridge, but is willing to withhold judgment until he sees final plans.

In any project, he would like to see the state address drainage on Route 302 and improve the seawall and sidewalks along the causeway. What also needs to be addressed is remuneration by the state for economic damages its decision could cause local businesses.

“I am one person, we need the community to weigh in,” Goodine said, adding that whatever the final plans, he wants them in writing before any construction begins.

Carl Talbot, second from left, speaks with Dan Sherlock, left, and Jim Wentworth of the Maine Department of Transportation; and Rep. Rich Cebra, R-Naples, right about plans to build a fixed instead of moveable bridge on the Naples Causeway. Talbot, manager of the Songo River Queen II said the excursion boat could not fit under a fixed bridge, and could lose 60 percent of its revenues.