On Sept. 9, the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) held a preliminary public meeting at the Old Town Public Library to discuss plans regarding the pair of bridges near the Stillwater Dam. About 35 people attended the meeting, including members of the town council and Old Town public works members. The purpose of the meeting was to educate residents of Old Town on the preliminary assessment of the bridges and also to gather input on how the townspeople see the project. According to Brian Reeves, bridge designer for the project, the bridges see about 16,600 cars per day. These numbers were found through two separate studies conducted in April and July of 2015. The bridge also sees 25 walkers and 20 bikes daily. Residents immediately spoke out about how the numbers in the study could be misleading, as the population bump the university gave the area would have been invisible in July. Jeffery Aceto, assistant director of facilities management for construction administration and regulatory compliance, who was attending on behalf of the University of Maine, said that the numbers in the studies could be incomplete. “I think there is some more vetting to be done, as some of the information may not be as complete as it could be,” Aceto said. “We think that analysis should continue, and then reevaluate.” Michael Wight, the project manager for the Stillwater bridge project, has full confidence his projections were as accurate as possible. “I’m not stating that this was an oversight,” Aceto said. “I just don’t think that those were our peak hours. Most of our lots are fuller in the fall.” Many Old Town residents believed that the bridge was unsafe, stemming from observations from below while kayaking. Many cited that concrete has been falling from under it, leaving them unsettled about the condition. One resident even said that he had seen “bridges in Iraq” that were in better condition. After these comments, Reeves explained that bridges are not supported by the concrete on the other side, but supported by rebar. He was blunt in saying that the bridge is safe, and fit use for immediate use. Old Town’s residents are pushing for a wider bridge, as the current two-lane bridge is not optimal for foot and bike traffic. Adjusting the two-lane bridge to four-lanes was also discussed, but MaineDOT studies concluded that a two-lane bridge was sufficient. Aceto, speaking on behalf of the university, said the university was looking to increase its enrollment for next year. Because of this, he said, the university supported Old Town in the pursuit of a wider bridge. “We have a vested stake for folks coming onto campus,” Aceto said. “Right now, the level of service near College Ave concerns us a lot.” Residents mentioned that they would like to have a bridge that was aesthetically pleasing, as well as more functional. Wight discussed the possibility of putting a “special railing” on the bridge. Reeves said that a rating system implemented by the MaineDOT rated the pair of bridges at an average of a 53.7 out of 100. This rating, according to Reeves, means that maintenance was suggested, but not urgently needed. The MaineDOT has allocated $300,000, through 80 percent federal and 20 percent state funding, to do preliminary engineering. This project began in October 2014, with surveying being completed recently, leading to the information presented in the meeting. Preliminary stages are scheduled to go into next year, ending in Fall of 2016. The meeting seemed quite turbulent, with many residents questioning the planning done by the MaineDOT employees. Wight said that these meetings are crucial to getting feedback from locals who know the area better than surveyors. Currently, there is no funding allocated for the project’s construction. Early estimates project that funding could come through in 2018, assuming the three-year plan goes according to schedule. Wight said that even through construction, maintaining travel over the bridge is the most crucial part to this repair job. “The biggest concern is maintaining travel through the project,” Wight said. “We know that traffic is so high, so we’re going to maintain two lanes of traffic and a sidewalk during construction.”