The Maine Department of Transportation has replaced four crisis phones on the Penobscot Narrows Bridge after several were discovered to be malfunctioning.
Spokesperson Paul Merrill says the DOT discovered three of the phones weren't working during a weekly check in mid-October. He says the phones, which previously ran on solar and battery power, have had connectivity issues due to weather but have been replaced with new models.
"They are hard wired in for power, so we don't have to worry about batteries acting up during weather. All four are operational, we continue to check them weekly," Merrill says.
The phones, which automatically connect to Maine's crisis hotline, were installed in 2015 after an increasing number of suicide deaths. The director of suicide prevention at NAMI Maine, Greg Marley, encourages people to reach out for help. The state's crisis number is 1-888-568-1112.