HOULTON, Maine — Repairs to the town’s Gateway Crossing Bridge will now happen without impacting local taxpayer dollars.
The Houlton Town Council voted May 11 to expand its downtown TIF (Tax Increment Finance) district to include the Gateway Crossing Bridge so funds from that district could be used to pay for needed repairs to the structure.
“This will essentially allow us to use TIF money to fix the bridge,” Houlton Town Manager Butch Asselin explained.
The town has put off doing repairs on the bridge for about a year now because of the cost estimated between $16,000-$18,000. Some of the laminated wood on the arches has separated, allowing water to seep into crevices on the bridge
“We brought an engineer in from H.E. Bergeron last fall and he examined the bridge, prepared a report and made some recommendations,” Asselin explained.
One of those suggestions was to fill sections along the tops of the arches and to apply adhesive on the ends of the arches so water does not further permeate the wood.
Asselin said the repairs were more labor intensive and would not require large purchases of materials. The use of lift equipment to reach the top of the bridge will be another cost. Asselin said he expects to put the project out to bid, since the town does not own any of the equipment needed to perform the repairs.
Asselin said he hopes to have the project completed this fall, but because expanding a TIF district is a lengthy process that involves working with the Department of Economic and Community Development, he could not say for sure when the work would commence.
“The bridge is an asset to the town and we need to keep it in the best shape that we can,” Asselin said.
