PORTLAND, Maine — The Veranda Street Bridge on Interstate 295 reopened shortly before 7 a.m. on Monday, April 25. The reopening happened four hours ahead of schedule, after a weekend of construction and detours for people driving through the area.
The bridge carries I-295 over Route 1 (or Veranda Street) in Portland between exits 9 and 10. The Maine Department of Transportation said it's one of the most heavily-traveled corridors in Maine, with about 55,000 cars traveling on it every day.
The Maine DOT said the old bridge was "structurally deficient." It was 61 years old. The new bridge is designed to last 100 years.
The Maine DOT opted for a building technique to avoid long-term traffic disruptions. The area closed at 7 p.m. on Friday for the entire weekend to allow crews to tear down beams from the old bridge and then move the pieces for the new bridge into place. Doing the project bit by bit instead of all at once could have taken months or years.
Plans for the Veranda Street Bridge replacement project began in 2016, and construction started in March 2021. The project cost about $20.8 million in total, and more work is expected in the coming months, which will involve overnight lane closures. The Maine DOT said work should be completed by the end of 2022.
In a statement, the department said, "...MaineDOT wants to thank our customers – the members of the traveling public who heeded the warnings to avoid the area, used detour routes, and planned for delays during the interstate closure weekend. We sincerely appreciate your continued patience and understanding as we do this important work..."
Route 1/Veranda Street in Portland (underneath the bridge) is expected to reopen at 2 p.m. on Monday.