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Historic Bridges in Maine

In 1959, the 99th Maine legislature took a major step by enacting a law to preserve Maine's wooden covered bridges. The new law provided that state money could be used to save and renovate covered bridges. As a result, in 1961 the Department of Transportation undertook major renovations to the 10 remaining covered bridges.

Inspections

The Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) inspects all bridges and minor spans on public ways every two years in accordance with the National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS) (PDF) and MaineDOT’s Bridge Management Coding Guides. The collected data (for bridges only) is reported annually to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and is used for determining safe load capacities and candidates for MaineDOT’s bridge capital and maintenance work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Select a question below to view the answer.

What is a “bridge?"

A "bridge" is defined as having a span length of more than 20 feet, in accordance with Federal law. It also includes multiple pipes over a certain size.

What is a “minor span?"

A "minor span" is defined as having a span length of 10 to 20 feet.

Bridges

Find important information about MaineDOT's bridge inventory including conditions, postings and inspection processes.

Find a Bridge

View bridge information by selecting a town/city below and pressing the "Go" Button.
If any questions or issues with the search tool below, please contact the Bridge Management section at 207-624-3300.

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