Maine bridge partially collapses during concrete pour; crews begin dismantling damaged spans

Demolition crews in Maine have started removing damaged parts of a new river bridge that partly collapsed while workers were pouring concrete. The incident sent injured workers to hospital and brought a major bridge replacement project to a halt. Engineers and heavy equipment operators are cutting apart and removing damaged sections of the new Llewellyn Estes Bridge over the Stillwater River in Old Town. According to updates published by the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT), contractors are using special heavy machinery to separate damaged sections from the supporting piers and abutments. They are then lifting the broken pieces out of the river. The demolition follows an incident on August 13, when a newly built section of the bridge suddenly failed as workers poured wet concrete for the new bridge deck.Controlled dismantling and river cleanupDemolition work began on Tuesday, 13 October. Crews must break the collapsed structure into smaller pieces while working above the water. Officials at MaineDOT confirmed that heavy equipment operators are carefully lifting the broken materials out of the Stillwater River. The debris will then be taken to dry land for processing an...