Frank J. Wood Bridge - Topsham, Maine

Built in 1931 and opened in 1932, the Frank J. Wood Bridge connects Topsham and Brunswick, Maine, over the Androscoggin River. The 805-foot steel truss bridge was built as part of the Workers Protection Administration’s initiative to upgrade the United States infrastructure. 

The Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) has pushed to replace it with a new bridge. In May 2016, MDOT announced that the bridge would be demolished and replaced with a new concrete one located over the falls of the Androscoggin River. MDOT’s announcement was made before legally required environmental and historic reviews to determine if a historic structure should be saved. A preservation group, the Friends of the Frank J. Wood Bridge, formed to save the structure from demolition. 

It’s estimated by MDOT that the cost of restoring the bridge would be $15 million, and a service life cost of $35.2 million over the next 75 years. They also estimated that a replacement bridge would cost $13 million with a service life cost of $17.5 million over the next 100 years. After many court battles, of which there have been victories on both sides, the state of Maine is moving forward by replacing the bridge. The new structure is now estimated to cost $33.5 million.