PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The Maine Department of Transportation plans to demolish the southern half of the former Grand Trunk Railroad train trestle at the request of the Board of Maine Harbor Commissioners.
The trestle is a part of a swing bridge that runs from Portland’s East End to the B&M Baked Beans plant and has been eyed as a potential recreational trail and as an opportunity to restore passenger rail service from Portland’s Ocean Gateway to Lewiston, the Press Herald reported.
Commission Chairman Daniel Haley Jr. wrote in an Aug. 17 letter to the state that the trestle’s condition has reached a “critical level.”
Haley said that large pieces have fallen into the water creating a “serious hazard to navigation” for boaters.
Maine DOT spokesman Paul Merrill said the work would likely begin Nov. 30 and be completed by the end of the year. The project is estimated to cost $400,000.
