MaineDOT and its contracting partners have been able to make emergency repairs to Southport Bridge to allow it to open to marine traffic, MaineDOT announced Friday, May 24. The bridge is operating correctly and should be able to accommodate the passage of all marine traffic through the holiday weekend. The moveable bridge opens on a schedule: every 30 minutes between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

On Thursday, May 23, MaineDOT announced the following:

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 currently taking place. MaineDOT is rehabilitating the bridge, which carries Route 27 over Townsend Gut at the Boothbay Harbor/Southport 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.