09 Sep WCME Exclusive: A Lawsuit to Stop a Bridge Replacement
It’s been a long-running battle. What to do about the aging Frank J. Wood Bridge connecting Brunswick and Topsham across the Androscoggin River? After a series of public hearings and obtaining other public input, the Maine Department of Transportation has developed a plan for bridge replacement. But three historic preservation groups have now filed a lawsuit aimed at stopping that plan and opting instead for bridge rehabilitation.
The transportation department has issued a statement saying its engineers do not agree with the plaintiffs’ allegations and says the decision was reached for this project after a fact-based and thoughtful, two-and-a-half-year-long engineering and environmental assessment overseen by the Federal Highway Administration.
One of the plaintiffs is the Topsham-based Friends of the Frank J. Wood Bridge. John Graham is the group’s president and joined us on today’s WCME Midcoast Morning Buzz. If you missed it you can hear it here: