Phase 2 construction is underway on one of Maine’s most complex infrastructure projects to date.
The 124-year-old Ticonic Bridge, which carries U.S. Route 201 and connects the communities of Waterville and Winslow, Maine, is being replaced by a newer, and safer, modern structure.
“The new bridge replaces an aging structure prone to closures and detours, reducing travel times and enhancing safety for commuters, businesses, and emergency services,” said Mark Parlin, Project Manager, Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT).
The new two-span, steel girder bridge has a concrete deck supported by a single concrete pier in the river, and at each end by abutments.
“We aim for a 100-year life span of our bridges,” Parlin said. “With Maine’s severe winters and the high volume of chloride used in road treatment, we take steps to enhance the bridge’s longevity. We frequently add low-carbon chromium reinforcement in the deck and metalize the bridge girders with a high-zinc coating to protect the structure.”
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In July, construction crews began building the second half of the new Waterville abutment and erecting steel girders on the downstream stage of the Ticonic Bridge, across the Kennebec River.
Cianbro Corporation of Pittsfield, Maine, is serving as the main contractor of the $52.8 million, two-phased project.
Regionally, it preserves a critical link on U.S. Route 201 that carries over 17,000 vehicles daily, maintaining connectivity and supporting economic competitiveness. The modernized bridge will uplift local and regional economies through better access and mobility across a variety of industries such as forestry, tourism, and agriculture.
“Backed by significant federal and state investments, the project also complements downtown revitalization efforts by enhancing traffic flow, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and overall community development, ensuring a durable, modern asset to foster long-term economic growth,” said Brittany Roberts, Marketing Specialist, MaineDOT.
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The bridge is expected to be fully open to traffic by August 2026. Onsite construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of May 2027.
The bridge first began its life as a steel truss bridge in the 1800s. In 1909, the bridge was replaced by a concrete arch trolley bridge that featured a 500-foot track that spanned the Kennebec River from Winslow to Waterville at the junction of Main and Bridge streets.
According to MaineDOT, a trolley system serving the two towns carried more than 2 million passengers a year at its peak, although the use of trolleys declined significantly when automobiles came into greater usage in the 1920s. Other sections of the bridge were replaced in 1936 after a flood washed away the original steel truss. The bridge was further widened in 1970 in a five-span configuration to better accommodate increased traffic. Currently, older sections of the bridge date back more than a century.
“The bridge has deteriorated to the point that the end of its useful life is near,” Roberts said. “Further attempts to repair or rehabilitate it will not restore the full integrity of the bridge to meet modern safety needs.”
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The old Ticonic Bridge had a total structure length of 575 feet, a bridge width (curb to curb) of 86 feet, and carried five traffic lanes with narrow shoulders, a sidewalk on each side, a strip of vegetation along the south fascia, as well as a utility line. The bridge had an average annual daily traffic count of 17,600 vehicles.
The new bridge will fit inside the existing footprint. It will continue to carry five lanes of traffic but with widened shoulders, sidewalks, and improved lights and access.
“We coordinated with the municipalities to match the aesthetics of the bridge lighting systems with those leading to the bridge. The new lighting will be dark-sky compliant,” Parlin said. “It’s a combination of improved form and function.”
“While many adjoining towns are separated by a river and rely on a bridge to provide cohesive connections between two distinct communities, this area is unique because of the variety of traffic that uses the bridge, the commercial center that it serves, and the fact that the next closest bridge is 4 miles away,” Roberts said.
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The two-phased construction strategy was developed to allow for the replacement of the bridge to occur one half at a time, along the existing alignment, maintaining two lanes of eastbound traffic while detouring westbound traffic. This preserves critical connectivity despite spatial limitations.
At the beginning of 2025, the Ticonic Bridge was fully closed to all traffic and pedestrians. Vehicular traffic was detoured to the Carter Memorial Bridge, and pedestrians were detoured to the Two-Cent Bridge — a nearby wire-cable, pedestrian-only footbridge, named after its two-penny toll — that was built in 1903. It is the last known footbridge of its kind in the United States to have once operated as a toll crossing.
During a six-month closure, crews demolished the existing downstream half of the aging bridge and began building the new structure. It reopened to eastbound traffic and pedestrians on the upstream side.
While Phase 2 construction is now underway, two lanes of eastbound traffic are being maintained across the bridge with westbound traffic detouring south to the Carter Memorial Bridge.
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“During construction, limiting the number of lanes on the Ticonic Bridge was necessary to provide the space needed by the contractor to demolish the existing bridge and to build the new one,” Roberts said.
The project has faced several challenges that have influenced its planning and execution.
Maintaining connectivity between Waterville and Winslow required a complex, staged construction approach, involving long-term lane closures, full bridge closures, and traffic and pedestrian detours, which increased pressure on local roads and required careful coordination.
According to MaineDOT, the site’s difficult conditions, including steep riverbanks and the fluctuating water levels of the Kennebec River, complicated access and construction logistics.
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“Environmental restrictions to protect endangered species like Atlantic salmon and shortnose sturgeon limited in-water work to certain seasons, impacting scheduling,” Roberts said. “Additionally, numerous utilities along the bridge needed careful relocation to maintain service, adding complexity. ... Strict environmental timing and utility coordination ensured protection of endangered species and continuous service of numerous utilities without expanding the work zone.”
“Engineering decisions were shaped by the need to maintain utility services in coordination with the existing bridge demolition, minimize impacts to historic districts, avoid and mitigate harm to endangered fish species and their habitats, respect statutory parkland protections, adhere to construction timing windows to protect aquatic life, responsibly manage potential contamination from brownfields, and comply with water quality requirements for dredging,” Roberts added. “These considerations led to tailored design, construction methods, scheduling, and environmental reviews.”
With a 50-foot drop beneath the bridge, equipment considerations were limited, and there was a special need for precision.
The contractors selected two customized Mi-Jack Products 50-ton Travelift gantry cranes to meet the project’s demands, enabling the efficient, safe lifting and placement of very large steel girders — some up to 150 feet long and weighing over 140,000 pounds — even with the limited crane reach and difficult access at the site.
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According to Kyle Alfieri, Regional Sales Manager for Mi-Jack, Cianbro’s engineering team used the rail-mounted Mi-Jack Products Travelifts due to the limit on reach and positioning of normal conventional cranes.
The rail wheels and gantry trusses allowed the cranes to move along the bridge structure itself, while allowing the cranes to lift and transport steel girders, without inhibiting the project’s 36-month timeline.
Mi-Jack Products and Cianbro installed gantry trusses on the bridge and custom rail wheels on the Travelift cranes. These wheels enabled the cranes to travel seamlessly along the bridge trusses, ensuring materials can be lifted and placed precisely where they are needed, eliminating the need for constant repositioning or disassembly, saving time and resources.
Phase 2 focuses on the installation of additional support structures and extended bridge spans. In addition to placing new materials, the cranes will help remove and reposition outdated or temporary structures so they are safely dismantled as the new segments are completed.
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According to MaineDOT, the Ticonic Replacement Bridge Project is expected to deliver substantial economic benefits locally and regionally by improving access and mobility between Waterville and Winslow, while simultaneously supporting key industries such as forestry, fishing, tourism, and farming.
“The project vision grew from a straightforward bridge replacement into a comprehensive infrastructure solution that balances safety, environmental stewardship, multimodal use, and community benefits, illustrating a modern approach to infrastructure planning in a constrained and sensitive setting,” Roberts said.
According to 2023 Census Bureau data, Maine has the sixth highest proportion of residents living in rural areas, at 40.2 percent.
Approximately 89 percent of the state is forested, making it the heaviest forestland in the United States. According to the 2024 National Bridge Inventory, 15.4 to 16.2 percent of Maine’s bridges are rated as structurally poor. MaineDOT in 2020 stated that 8.7 percent of the state’s average daily traffic travels over bridges in poor condition.
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Funding for the project includes a $25 million federal BUILD grant from the Federal Highway Administration, with the remaining balance primarily covered by state and federal money, as coordinated by MaineDOT.
“The Ticonic Bridge replacement project serves as a model for successfully executing infrastructure work in constrained spaces by employing a combination of innovative and carefully coordinated approaches,” Roberts said.
- Owner: Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT)
- General Contractor: Cianbro Corporation, Pittsfield, Maine
- Designer: HNTB, Kansas City, Missouri
- Engineer: MaineDOT and HNTB
- Other Key Contractors: Ranger Excavation, Shaw Brothers, JE Butler, Frazier Electric
