The Portland contractor reinforcing the piers of the Nequasset Bridge spanning Route 1 in Woolwich will begin the final phase of project next week.

Greg Scott, president and project manager of Scott Construction, reported to the Wiscasset Newspaper late Tuesday afternoon that all of the excavation beneath the bridge is complete; rebar and casings are installed at all piers.

“We are getting ready to place concrete at all four bridge piers next week,” Scott said in an email.

The project got underway shortly after Labor Day. The work included shoring up the four piers supporting the bridge, which carries hundreds of motorists across it every day.

The work involves reinforcing the steel piling supporting each pier in accordance with Maine Dept. of Transportation specifications. Seven pilings support each pier group and all 28 pilings were to be reinforced.

In a previous story in the newspaper, Scott said a good deal of the work was to be carried out under water by a team of construction divers. The diving team installed a stay-in-place fiberglass casing and steel rebar to strengthen the pilings. The next phase involves filling the casing with concrete; that phase is set to begin next week at the rate of two piers per day.

Scott said the cement needed for reinforcing the pilings would be pumped from a cement truck parked on the Route 1 road shoulder. The contractor will maintain two lanes of traffic across the bridge, but have a temporary lane shift in place.

“This will happen next week and is currently scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.,” he added.

While the cement work is being carried out, a temporary bicycle route will be put in place around the bridge. Northbound bicyclists will be directed on to Nequasset Road past the municipal building and then left onto George Wright Road, which carries them back to Route 1. Southbound bikers will follow the route in reverse.

Scott said if all goes as planned, the Nequasset Bridge work will be finished the week of Oct. 12. Repairs to the Nequasset Bridge were estimated earlier to run between $140,000 and $150,000.

The work in Woolwich is the third phase of a 3-part MDOT project for shoring up bridges. Scott Construction Corporation won the job after submitting a bid price of $453,570 for repairing all three. The other bridges were in Litchfield/West Gardiner and Manchester.