HOULTON, Maine — The Gateway Bridge, which spans the Meduxnekeag River and connects Riverfront Park to Houlton’s downtown district, has been temporarily closed.
According to Butch Asselin, interim town manager, problems with the bridge were reported to the town Monday afternoon when residents noticed several large spikes had fallen off. The spikes were placed atop the bridge to prevent birds from settling on the structure.
“The high winds we experienced on Sunday contributed to the problem,” Asselin said. “Another factor involves the plastic the spikes are set into becoming brittle over time due to their exposure to the elements.”
Several broken sections were removed from the walkway Monday, but there are several other pieces still dangling precariously overhead, he said.
The bridge is temporarily closed until a plan is worked out to remove/re-attach the broken sections and to better secure what remains. The town is coordinating with a local vendor to provide a budget estimate to complete the work. The plan is re-open the bridge as soon as possible.
“The spikes cover a substantial amount of area on the bridge, so it will take some time to complete the work,” he said.
The spikes were originally installed by a contractor from Rockport in September of 2009 for $5,600.
