Staff Writer

Kennebunk’s downtown business owners know construction to Route 1’s Mousam Bridge is expected to begin soon, but they still have unanswered questions.

“In the summer, a good chunk of our business is drive-bys,” said Chris Cluff vice president of marketing for Duffy’s Tavern and Grill. “What do you do when the road is closed? If they closed the bridge (without a temporary one being installed), might as well roll up the sidewalks.”

Maine Department of Transportation Spokesman Mark Latti said Route 1 in that area will not be completely shut down and traffic may be detoured onto an adjacent temporary bridge.

Latti said the prefabricated bridge could be located slightly downstream, right behind Cumberland Valley Farms gas station and into Rotary Park.

DOT has $3.5 million budgeted for the project, according to Latti, which would include paving a temporary road leading up to and off the new bridge.

While business owners are confident Route 1 traffic will not be rerouted around downtown, new concerns over the temporary bridge have arisen: weight limits.

Business owners said they will attend a May 6 town hall meeting with town and DOT officials who will answer questions about the bridge. The meeting begins at 6 p.m.

“I’m concerned, but I don’t dwell on it, as long as my delivery drivers can make it,” said Lisa Bickford, owner of The Café at Lafayette.

Bickford said she had heard tractor-trailer trucks would not be allowed across the temporary bridge, but she gets her deliveries from Shields Meat & Produce, which uses smaller trucks.

Dean Shields, owner of the delivery company, said he was researching weight restrictions and would attend the next town meeting to ask questions and hear DOT’s responses to the weight limit concerns.

Another one of Shield’s customers, Dave Rizzo, owner of Perfecto’s Café in downtown, also is concerned.

“Am I concerned? Absolutely. It would be foolish of me not to be concerned,” Rizzo said. “I’m still waiting for the upcoming meeting to find out about delivery drivers.”

Rizzo is happy the bridge construction project will start in fall after the downtown revitalization project is over.

“Two (projects) at the same time could be disastrous,” Rizzo said. “I asked for (the revitalization project), I’m not going to complain.”

Rizzo said slowed traffic from the bridge detour could result in more drive-by customers, not fewer, and construction workers from the bridge project have to eat somewhere.

Mark Boynton, owner of the Sunoco station on Main Street, said he’s concerned some larger vehicles won’t be permitted to cross if there is a conservative weight limit on the bridge. Boynton said most delivery trucks he relies on to keep his pump full use the turnpike and should not be affected.

Caroline Segalla, Kennebunk director of community development, said abutters to the temporary bridge will need to be consulted but because the plan has not yet been finalized the abutters have not been identified.

Two other options on the table for the bridge construction include closing the bridge completely and rerouting traffic – although an exact route has not yet been decided – or closing half of the 54-foot-wide bridge.

Segalla said the town might purchase signs to post during reconstruction that would let drivers know downtown is still open, even with all the construction. She also said town officials are looking into traffic lights so there are no major traffic jams or backups.

She has heard from business owners who are concerned for the safety of employees who would walk to work over a narrow temporary bridge. Segalla said she is keeping a list of questions for the upcoming meeting.

Staff Writer Suzanne Hodgson can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 233.