Bowdoinham’s Lower Abagadasset Bridge closes April 20 for soil borings

Bowdoinham drivers who use Browns Point Road will have to detour for five days when the Lower Abagadasset Bridge closes to all traffic from April 20 through April 25. MaineDOT says pedestrians and drivers should follow detour signs and detour maps, and travelers should expect longer drives and delays around the Abagadasset River crossing.

The closure is tied to soil borings, a geotechnical step that lets engineers understand ground conditions before repair or replacement work moves ahead. MaineDOT said the investigations are needed to start planning and design for the Lower Abagadasset Bridge Improvement Project, and the town said the drilling was scheduled as early in spring and for as short a time as possible to limit disruption.

The bridge, identified as Lower Abagadasset Bridge #3432, sits over the Abagadasset River, about a quarter-mile east of Abagadasset Road. In its bridge materials, MaineDOT says the structure is narrow enough that one lane of traffic cannot be maintained during construction on the same roadway alignment, which makes closure and detour likely when the larger project gets underway.

The town’s update said the improvement project was still scheduled for construction in 2029, showing that the April shutdown is part of a long design timeline rather than the start of construction itself. MaineDOT’s preliminary public meeting for the project ran from December 3 through December 24, 2025, and the work is listed as WIN 029138.00, with Simone Zimmerman named as project manager.

For Bowdoinham, the impact is practical and immediate. A bridge that may seem small on a map still carries daily trips to work, school, errands, farms and waterfront properties, and even a brief closure can ripple through local travel patterns in Sagadahoc County. The soil borings now will help determine what comes next for one of the town’s key river crossings.