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Wednesday, February 1, 2012 1937 - 2012 · Celebrating 75 Years Orono Weekly Times - 5 Newcastle bridge is falling down by Christopher W. Brown The trestle bridge located on Lakeshore Road at Stephenson Road is falling down. Since November, the bridge has been shut down due to safety concerns, and is still under construction. Workers have been on site for the past week and will return on February 6th. The workers are currently replacing the stands of the bridge. They have been rotting away, and are the major reason the bridge has been caving in on itself. The workers must first raise each of the legs, chip the old rotten stand from it, and then replace it with new wooden stands. Trying to pry the old rotten wood from the ground "is like trying to break cement with a chisel," said one crew member. After replacing the stands of the bridge, the workers will begin to replace the legs of the structure and then the walls of the bridge must be replaced. Michael Clay, who lives next to the bridge, said it hasn't been a big hassle to travel to Riley Road to get where he needs to go. Clay says that he and his wife were informed by mail of the closing and that "it wasn't that big of an issue to us." Clay is a carpenter and Under re-construction: The old trestle bridge on Lakeshore Road in Newcastle is expected to be closed until the end of February, while construction crews repair its sagging infrastructure. says that he understands the conditions the workers are under. "When you have a project like that, you want to make sure the project is done correctly." Clay says that the road has been quieter since the bridge was closed. He admits that the road is not used as much now as in the summer, but "we still get the odd car or truck that comes down the road and turns around." Denny Jubano of the Canadian National Railway said,"The base has been collapsing inwards." Jubano said that the weather conditions have been working against the workers. He also stated that the pro- ject is on schedule and on time, and hasn't had any issues arise yet on the site. Local Councillor Wendy Partner says that she has not heard any issues from residents in the area, noting, "The process is moving along smoothly and we (the Municipality) don't see any issues arising from the project." Regional Councillor Willie Woo reiterated Councillor Partner's statement, adding, "Only one person has contacted me and it was in regards to the historical value of the bridge. He said he hoped that it wasn't going to be torn down and replaced with a different bridge." The bridge restoration has not affected the CN railway at all; work has been done around the schedule of the trains.