double suspender cables by steel rods, then tensioned with 30-ton (27.2 metric ton) jacks, bringing the new cables about from the main cables. A new construction, the Penobscot Narrows Bridge, was built alongside the older one. The new bridge was opened to traffic on December 30, 2006, at which point the Waldo–Hancock Bridge was ceremoniously closed. Barricades were erected at both ends, closing the bridge to both cars and pedestrians. Demolition The Maine Department of Transportation announced on February 14, 2012, that the bridge would be demolished starting that summer and be completed by the fall. The schedule was designed to accommodate the needs of two endangered species, the Peregrine falcon and the Shortnose sturgeon. Barges were placed in the Penobscot River onto which sections of the bridge were lowered. The concrete piers in the river are all that remains, and MDOT worked with the United States Coast Guard to design lights for them once the Bridge was removed to aid ships in the river. Later, MaineDOT announced that the low bid of $5.35 million by S&R Corp. of Lowell, Massachusetts, was accepted. Demolition eventually was delayed until November 20, 2012, with the removal of the bridge's flag poles and was completed in June 2013. Gallery See also List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Maine Further reading The following sources are referenced in the HAER documentation: References External links — major source of information used in article, although not directly cited. Entry at Bridgemeister.com (includes builders plate) Entry at Bridgemeister.com (includes distance shots) entry on reconstruction at BridgePros.com Recabling project from McGraw Hill Engineering News Record site (effort ended up being a temporary stopgap) Replacement project at Maine DOT site Former toll bridges in Maine Demolished bridges in the United States Former road bridges in the United States Road bridges in Maine Suspension bridges in Maine Penobscot River Transportation buildings and structures in Hancock County, Maine Bridges completed in 1931 Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks U.S. Route 1 Historic American Engineering Record in Maine Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System Truss bridges in the United States Metal bridges in the United States Buildings and structures in Bucksport, Maine Former National Register of Historic Places in Maine