A construction project eventually meant to produce a pedestrian-friendly hub in downtown Westbrook is giving rise to concerns for residents with disabilities, who utilize wheelchairs or seeing-eye dogs.

Due to utility work on the Bridge Street bridge job, sections of the road at the intersection of Main and Bridge streets are lined with above-ground water lines, especially near the crosswalks of the busy intersection. Loose asphalt is used to provide some relief, but some residents, like Jill Johanning, are still concerned.

Project officials say the site is challenging, but that the problems are only temporary.

Johanning is a Westbrook resident and architect who specializes in accessibility. She said she first noticed the issues with the site after walking over the Bridge Street bridge, where she encountered a “sidewalk closed” sign.

“I don’t have any vision loss or mobility disabilities, and it got my attention,” she said.

Last week, she met with project officials about the sidewalk concerns, and since then, some changes have been made. In her original email to city officials about the construction, she said she had observed multiple downtown residents with vision loss who would have trouble maneuvering through the area.

“I understand that the construction around the bridge and along Main Street will last for a while, better access through downtown needs to be accounted for during this time period and more education is needed to the contractors for their obligation to maintain access for pedestrians,” she said in the email.

She added that the construction also coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

One of those residents with vision loss, Mel Clarrage, said the construction has added to an area that’s already difficult for him.

He said in order to do everyday errands like banking, he needs to get downtown from Longfellow Street. Clarrage has a seeing-eye dog.

“Unfortunately, I haven’t found a safe way to do that,” he said, adding that he routinely takes a cab. “It does restrict access to the community.”

The Bridge Street bridge project is considered on schedule, with project officials hoping to have traffic moving over the new bridge by Christmas. The $6.2 million project is led by the Maine Department of Transportation, with construction work done by Reed & Reed and other area contractors.

The end result of the construction will be a new bridge, with a new alignment, and a separate pedestrian walkway over the river. What is now the end of Bridge Street will turn into a dead end, with a pedestrian-friendly layout and access to the boardwalk and walkway over the Presumpscot River.

On Wednesday, Johanning was checking on the recent efforts to alleviate her concerns, especially near CVS Pharmacy. She said her meeting with Maine transportation officials focused on how to improve the area based on its existing conditions.

“I think they realized in hindsight that if they had located the water pipes in a different location it would’ve made it easier, but it’s too late now until they’re done,” she said.

Craig Hurd, the project resident engineer for the Maine Department of Transportation at the Bridge Street site, said Wednesday that the above-ground water piping is providing temporary water for the area businesses while a new water main is installed. He said the work is expected to be done in two to three weeks, at which time, the above-ground water lines will be removed.

Johanning said the difficulty for pedestrians is that the water lines are running right over the curb ramps, which presents a challenge for those in wheelchairs.

Hurd said that since his discussion with Johanning, work has been done to add more reclaimed asphalt onto the pipes to “make some of the pitches a little less steep.”

City Engineer Eric Dudley said Wednesday that he doesn’t believe the crossing was ADA-compliant prior to construction, and that the temporary water supply has “exacerbated the issue.” He said workers from Grondin (one of the contractors) “excavated and set the pipe deeper in the ground to alleviate the issue.”

Hurd also said construction barriers have also been rearranged in some places.

“I think people were confused on which way to go,” he said, adding that the space of the site is challenging. “There’s not a lot of room there.”

Johanning said the temporary water lines and construction barriers also block access to the pedestrian crossing signal button and is challenging to access even for people without disabilities.

“You’re going to have to hope that someone across the street pushes the button,” she said, adding that officials didn’t have a solution to that issue yet.

“We’ve made changes, and we still have a few more things to do,” Hurd said.

Temporary water lines running over the sidewalks at the intersection of Main and Bridge streets have raised concerns for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Project officials are working with local residents to resolve the issues. Staff photo by Andrew Rice

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