CARIBOU, Maine — The Maine Department of Transportation began a project on Tuesday to replace an old metal culvert with a new precast concrete box on the Otter Brook Bridge in Caribou.
Charles Barnard, a technician with the Maine DOT Bridge Program, said the new culvert will last longer than traditional metal culverts and that this is a scheduled project with the Department of Transportation to help maintain roads and bridges within the state of Maine.
The contract was awarded to Soderberg Construction of Caribou for $692,797, according to the Maine DOT.
Maine DOT Public Information Officer Paul Merrill said this preliminary work will likely not be very visible to motorists along the route.
Traffic impacts are expected to begin on July 6, at which point drivers should expect a single-lane traffic pattern, Merrill said.
A sign has also been placed on either side of the bridge, alerting motorists that work will begin on that date.
The Maine DOT is also working on Route 1 between Caribou and Presque Isle this summer, a significantly larger scale project than the culvert replacement.
“This should not be a major, complex project,” said Barnard of the Otter Brook Bridge work, “and it is not expected to cause any issues to the environment or surrounding areas.”
The culvert replacement is scheduled to be finished by Sept. 7.
