Bill would rename bridge after former Biddeford mayor

The Legislature’s Transportation Committee voted unanimously on Thursday in favor of a bill sponsored by State Rep. Marc Malon, D-Biddeford, to rename the bridge on Main Street between Saco and Biddeford the General Wallace H. Nutting Memorial Bridge.

Nutting served as the mayor of Biddeford from 2003-2007 and died in 2023 at the age of 95. He was a four-star general and earned a Purple Heart, Silver Star and Soldier’s Medal during service in the Army in Korea.

“When I think about the future of Biddeford and Saco, naming this bridge after General Nutting, a leader who bridged our communities himself, is a great symbolic step forward,” said Malon in a written statement. “His tenure was well-regarded for the professional execution of his duties and for helping to sow the seeds of what would become Biddeford’s downtown renaissance.”

The measure received support from both Saco and Biddeford, and the two cities each signed a resolution in favor of renaming the bridge.

“General Nutting was a true believer in Biddeford s downtown. He did not stand for the invisible line between the cities of Saco and Biddeford. He advocated for regional planning and shared resources and ideas. He understood that our communities were one community and much stronger together, so it makes good sense that a bridge linking these two communities be named in his honor,” said senator Henry Ingwersen, D-Arundel, in written testimony.

The bill will face further votes in the House and Senate in the coming weeks.

Saco Bay News Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.