Replacement Of Wilson Street/Rte1A Bridge In Brewer Begins Tuesday

Phase 1 of the new and very controversial I-395/Rte 9 connector project will begin this coming Tuesday in Brewer.

The Maine Department of Transportation along with it's contractor, Wyman & Simpson, Inc. out of Richmond, will begin the 14 and-a-half month long project of replacing the Wilson Street Bridge in Brewer, the span that carries Route 1A to and from Brewer and receives traffic from I-395 onto Wilson Street.

The estimated completion date for this project is November 1st, 2021.The total cost of replacing the bridge is $10,744,239.

The replacement of the Wilson Street Bridge is Phase 1 of the I-395/Route 9 Connector Project, which would extend I-395 another 6 miles northeast through the wetland, fields, woods, and current private properties, to Route 9 in Eddington.  Route 9 is otherwise known as the airline, the much used road between Brewer and Calais.

The ultimate goal of the project is to make an easy connection for traffic and big rig trucks to hop onto the Interstate system via Route 9, which would eliminate traffic on the much smaller Route 46, which runs into East Holden to the crossroads at Route 1A.  It would also eliminate big rig traffic from driving into downtown Brewer.  Those phases of the project are due to begin in either 2021 or 2022.

According to this week's press release from the Maine Department of Transportation, " The new road will improve connectivity, mobility, and safety in the region. This project will provide economic benefits to both the Bangor area and the entire State of Maine."