Bridges continue to command the attention of state transportation workers who just finished up a comprehensive inspection of Maine’s six steel deck truss bridges in the aftermath of the Minneapolis bridge collapse.

While all those spans in the state cleared the inspections, scheduled work continues on other Maine bridges, including the Russ Bridge, adjacent to the fish hatchery on the Gore Road in Palermo. Mike Eldridge, regional bridge manager for Maine Department of Transportation’s Region Two Office, said the top layer of the bridge will be replaced in a project that will begin Monday.

“The existing wearing surface has deteriorated to the point it no longer protects the underlying bridge deck from water and weather,” he said in a prepared statement Wednesday. “It needs to be replaced to protect our investment in the bridge deck and to provide a smoother ride for drivers crossing the bridge.”

Eldridge said crews will also repair the stone riprap used to protect the bridge substructure from scouring caused by moving water and will also do some touch-up painting on the structural steel on the bridge.

“We need to replace the wearing surface and it just makes good sense to take care of these other items while we’re there,” he explained. “Because of the equipment, materials and procedure used to replace the wearing surface, we’ll need to restrict the bridge to one lane for the duration of the project. Our traffic engineers have looked at the work area and determined that adequate traffic control can be maintained using ‘Stop’ and ‘Proceed When Clear’ signs on the roadway approaches to the bridge.”

Eldridge said drivers should slow down as they approach the bridge and be prepared to stop should another vehicle already be crossing the span. The state anticipates it will take about six weeks to complete the work. But Eldridge cautioned that the work is weather dependent and that adjustments to the schedule may be needed depending on the amount of inclement weather later this month and in September.