Alna Road Commissioner Jeff Verney was out looking around town roads May 29, as he routinely does to check for problems. He found a couple on Old North Sheepscot Road, and one of them's a biggie, according to Verney and First Selectman David Abbott.

“It's looks like a significant project,” Abbott told fellow selectmen at the board's May 30 meeting.

“Yeah, it's a big, big project,” Verney agreed.

In a couple of spots, the roadside appears to be getting closer to the edge of ravines below, Verney said. Both situations need attention, and the worse of the two, involving a particularly deep ravine, should be addressed as soon as possible, he said.

“You can see where it's starting to slide,” said Abbott, who visited the spot after Verney told him about it.

Possible solutions include building up the ravine area, or moving the road over by expanding the other side of it, possibly by about eight feet, Verney said.

Under either scenario, guardrails should probably be put up above the ravine, he said in a roadside interview May 31.

Selectmen agreed to have Verney ask state transportation staff to take a look and offer any guidance they can.

Other than about $1,000 for engineering, Alna officials had no cost estimate yet for the work. The approximately $26,000 the town gets annually in state aid for road improvements will hopefully cover it, Abbott said May 31.

Bridge update

Reviewing conditions at Ben Brook Bridge after a recent letter from the state, Alna officials estimated the bridge on Egypt Road needs $800 to $1,000 in roadwork and signage.

A Maine Department of Transportation engineer's letter stated that, if problems at the bridge go unaddressed, the bridge risks load limits or closure.

Susan Johns can be reached at 207-844-4633 or sjohns@wiscassetnewspaper.com.