LINCOLN COUNTY - The Southport Bridge remains unable to open for marine traffic because of damage done to the structure's electrical systems during this past winter's flooding events. Boats that have the necessary vertical clearance to pass under the closed bridge are still able to pass through. Maintenance crews are actively working to resolve the issue, but we expect the situation will not be resolved in time for the upcoming holiday weekend.

This delay in bridge operations is unrelated to the construction project that is currently taking place. MaineDOT is rehabilitating the bridge, which carries Route 27 over the Townsend Gut at the Boothbay Harbor/Southport town line.

On-site work started in October. The project is expected to be finished next May. The contractor on this project is Cianbro of Pittsfield. The contract amount is $20.9 million. This project was awarded a $7.64-million federal BUILD grant in 2020.