A contractor for the Maine Department of Transportation is set to begin work on the Cribstone Bridge, which connects Orr’s and Bailey islands in Harpswell, to repair damage from two coastal storms in January.

Work on the structure also known as the Bailey Island Bridge, along State Route 24, will start “the week of (Monday) April 15” and finish in late May, MaineDOT said in a news release issued Friday, April 12.

“Most of the work involves resetting granite stones that shifted during coastal storms in January,” the release said. “Other work includes drainage repairs and debris removal.”

Construction will occur primarily during low tides on the sides of the bridge, according to the release. Route 24 will be reduced to a single lane of traffic at times, and drivers may encounter full road closures that last no longer than 15 minutes, it said.

“The sidewalk on the bridge may be closed to pedestrians at times during construction,” the release said. “MaineDOT is allowing the contractor the option of working at night or on Sundays during daylight hours.”

It said the sole bidder for the repair work was New England Infrastructure Inc., of Hudson, Massachusetts. The firm’s winning bid of $1.5 million was 2.5 times the roughly $600,000 MaineDOT had estimated the work would cost in a letter sent to local officials on Feb. 24.

“The preliminary engineering and right-of-way costs will be paid for using state funds only,” said the letter, from MaineDOT Senior Project Manager Michael Wight. “The construction and construction engineering costs shall be paid for using 80% federal funds and 20% state funds. No local or town funds are needed for this project.”

He added: “Many granite stones supporting the concrete deck were pushed out of position by the recent storms. The bridge is safe to carry traffic and pedestrians, but MaineDOT wants to get the bridge repaired as soon as possible.”

MaineDOT spokesperson Paul Merrill said the department has been experiencing high construction labor and material costs since before the COVID-19 pandemic began. There also has been a shortage of bidders on projects, he said.

“It’s not uncommon for us to receive very few bids on project and/or low bids that are above our internal estimates,” Merrill said in an email. “When that happens, we have to decide whether to move forward with awarding the contractor or reject all bids and find a new path. In this case, the department decided to award the bid.” 

Have a comment or news tip? Email J. Craig Anderson at craig@harpswellanchor.org.