For the last few days, we have tried to get the Maine DOT to give us detailed information on their plans to renovate the Southport bridge over the Townsend Gut.

You know, Southport islanders and their Boothbay Harbor neighbors just wanted a few answers to basic questions, like when the state DOT plans to begin their $20.9 million fix-up job on a bridge that has served the taxpayer since it was built in 1939 and repaired in 1987-88.

And, by the way, would motor traffic and marine traffic be interrupted? It looks like vehicles will usually be permitted to pass. Not so for boaters. That is planned to be closed down for the winter.

Do they plan to work at night? Sorry, bridge neighbors, the answer is yes.

These seemed to be pretty basic questions for the DOT, so I called and left a message for the department’s flack. I asked to speak to the project engineer. He promised to get back to me. Instead of providing us a chance to ask questions of project engineer Jason B. Stetson, the DOT flack demanded I send him a list of questions.

What should have been taken care of in a 10-minute phone call took a week.

Gerry Gamage, Southport’s fire chief, selectman, and general go-to guy, said the Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper is not alone. He said the island’s officials have also had trouble getting information from the DOT.

“They are not noted for their come forthness,” he said. 

Southport is a unique island.

While it was the site of one of the region’s first European settlements. Gamage estimated the island community has about 2,000 summer residents and 600 hardy year-round souls.

One of the most prominent Southport summer residents was the late Rachel Carson, an acknowledged hero of the environmental movement. She alerted us all to the dangers of pesticides and fertilizers in her best-selling book, “Silent Spring.”

Most of the summer residents move off the island when the town water supply shuts off for the winter, Gamage said.

The traditional water shut-off day is the third week of October. This year, that is Oct. 19.

However, in an email, the DOT says Cianbro, the construction contractor, plans to mobilize their equipment in late September. Actual construction work is scheduled to begin on Oct. 2. The projected completion date is May 29, 2025.

Gamage said he is concerned for the bridge provides the only link to the mainland for public safety vehicles, like fire engines, ambulances and police.

While Southport has its own volunteer fire department, in case of a major fire, they rely on neighboring towns for assistance. The other communities also depend on mutual aid.

The national bridge inventory data sheet estimates that every day, some 3,300 cars pass over the bridge. Large trucks delivering food, materials, oil, propane, and other necessary commodities use the bridge on most days.

And if the bridge is closed, both communities could be out of luck.

DOT pledged to permit emergency vehicles to pass the bridge at all times. Foot traffic will be allowed during the entire project.

According to the DOT, cars and trucks will be permitted to pass on an alternating single-lane traffic pattern.

In some cases, the bridge will be closed to traffic between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. Emergency vehicles will still be allowed to pass during nighttime work hours.

The bridge is called a steel swing bridge. The 100-foot-long main section swivels on a pivot to allow marine traffic to pass.

It will not open for marine traffic on two occasions. It will close Oct. 2, 2023, and reopen on May 17, 2024. The bridge will be closed to marine traffic for a second time from Sept. 30, 2024, to May 17, 2025.

According to the Maine DOT bridge inventory, the Southport bridge is in “fair” condition. The federal bridge sufficiency rating is 43.6. Federal rankings range from 1 to 100, with 100 being the top.

The contract amount is $20.9 million. This project was awarded a $7.64 million federal BUILD grant in 2020.

The top section of the bridge is home to a family of ospreys, featuring “Mazie” and her brood of chicks. They are regular summer visitors nesting on the bridge every year but usually head south in the fall.