KITTERY, Maine (WGAN)  The Maine Department of Transportation has sent a letter to contractor Cianbro about opening the new Sarah Mildred Long Bridge.

“In the letter, we have directed Cianbro to have the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge open for vehicular traffic by the end of the month,” says MaineDOT spokesman Ted Talbot.  “They are on board with that.  We’re working together cooperatively with everyone having the same goal.”

The bridge was originally supposed to open in September, but delays have plagued the project.  Cianbro officials had said the bridge wouldn’t be ready until May, but MaineDOT pushed for an earlier opening.

“We disagree on the punch list items timetable,” says Talbot.  “They feel that they should have all of the work done prior to the bridge opening.  What we feel is that these are punch list items, some of which can be done once the bridge is open to traffic.”

Even though the opening will be months after originally planned, Talbot says it hasn’t caused any major issues.

“We’ve received concerns, mostly through social media, over the bridge’s timetable, which is understandable, but there have been no adverse effects from the bridge not opening yet.   But that doesn’t take away our urgency of having it open by month’s end.”

Talbot said the department is confident the bridge will be opened by the end of March and their focus is on achieving that goal.