Causeway bridge: Work still to be done

BUFFING THE BRIDGE — An employee with Wyman and Simpson, Inc., the general contractor for the Bay of Naples Bridge project, buffs the surface of the concrete wall on the bridge Wednesday morning. (De Busk Photo)

BUFFING THE BRIDGE — An employee with Wyman and Simpson, Inc., the general contractor for the Bay of Naples Bridge project, buffs the surface of the concrete wall on the bridge Wednesday morning. (De Busk Photo)

By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — Those commuters who drive unimpeded over the Bay of Naples Bridge might think the construction project is complete.

But, there is still work to be done.

The travelers who have recently passed through the construction zone during regular business hours may have already been briefly delayed, or caught sight of workers wearing orange vests and hard hats.

Crews have been tying in the remaining boardwalk as well as buffing the bridge, according to Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) Resident Engineer Craig Hurd.

“We are doing sidewalks and boardwalks, too. Today, we are doing the boardwalk for the amphitheater. We are working our way back to The Lost Lobster,” Hurd said on Tuesday morning.

Not visible from the roadway, workers from general contractor Wyman and Simpson, Inc., were also working on the side of the bridge.

“They are rubbing the face of the concrete so it looks nice,” Hurd said.

A sky jack, which functions like a miniature crane, took up a lane of traffic while crews spruced up the bridge’s surface, he said.

Hurd estimated the general contractor had about a dozen people working on the job. A landscaping crew will likely move into the picture during the first part of May, Hurd said.

“The planting of trees will happen in another week or week and a half. We want to do the sod and finish the planting before Memorial Day,” he said.

Sometime in mid-May, motorists should be prepared for longer traffic delays.

“We are going to have some major delays coming up in a few weeks. They have to do a little repaving through the Causeway

The MDOT does not allow paving to take place before May 15. However, it will be necessary to grind down the spots that need to be paved.

The equipment that will be utilized is a pavement grinder, which is the size of a big truck; and that task will require closing one lane of traffic, Hurd said.