TOPSHAM (WGME) — Whether it’s dams, roads or bridges, Maine’s infrastructure needs improvement, with the American Society of Civil Engineers just giving Maine a “C” on the state’s “Infrastructure Report Card.”
In 2020, the state was graded a “C-” for its infrastructure, so this year’s report is an overall improvement.
But there are some categories, like bridges, where scores did go down.
The report says more than half of Maine’s 2,500 bridges are more than 50 years old.
There is a push for improvement, like the replacement of the Frank J. Wood Bridge in Topsham.
The Maine DOT says the $50 million new bridge should be complete by the end of 2026.
The report card says 15 percent of bridges in Maine are in “poor condition,” and in the past, there hasn’t been enough funding to get them fixed.
But despite grades dropping in the bridge category, Maine DOT Commissioner Bruce Van Note says this year they saw major infrastructure investments both federally and from the state, and eventually, that funding will raise our grades.
“Like a rock skipping from a lake, it went from that, and it bounced and it’s going up slowly, and it takes that long to do it,” Van Note said. “And as long as that bipartisan wisdom continues, you’re going to see continued progress.”
The state did see grade improvement in its roads and railway grades.
Transit officials hope replacement projects like the bridge in Topsham will boost grades on their next report card in 2028.