Bath ? MaineDOT announced today that the new Bath Viaduct will be opened to traffic next week, approximately 25 days ahead of schedule. Subject to weather in the next few days, MaineDOT contractors expect to complete laying the membrane, paving and striping the surface of the new viaduct in time to open the roadway to traffic at some point before Friday, May 5th. In doing so, the team of MaineDOT engineers and the contractors will have completed in approximately 195 days what took 729 days when the original viaduct was constructed.

Bath ? MaineDOT and its contractors have opened the new Bath Viaduct to traffic approximately 25 days ahead of schedule. Paving and striping were completed in the last few days, and workers removed the barriers and changed signs to allow Route 1 traffic to flow over the new viaduct this morning. Plans had called for the new viaduct to open just in time for Memorial Day, but MaineDOT engineers and their contractors completed the demolition of the original and construction of the new viaduct in just 195 days. The original viaduct construction in 1959 required 729 days to complete.

Vassalboro ? Beginning today, Tuesday, May 23rd, crews will be replacing a collapsed culvert in Vassalboro between the Nelson Road and Bog Road on Route 32.

Due to this emergency replacement, the road will be closed to all through traffic from Nelson Road to the Bog Road. All northbound traffic will be detoured onto Nelson Road to Crowell Road to Cross Hill Road then to Bog Road.

It is anticipated all work will be completed by the end of the day on Wednesday, May 24th.

Portland - This week, the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) held its annual spring meeting in Portland, Maine. More than 450 of the nation?s top transportation officials, including Commissioners/Cabinet Secretaries of Transportation, Chief Engineers and policy staff from 46 states gathered to discuss the latest in industry policies and innovations.

Augusta - The Federal Highway Administration and the Maine Department of Transportation have identified a replacement option as the ?preferred alternative? regarding the Frank J. Wood Bridge project which carries Route 201 over the Androscoggin River between Brunswick and Topsham. The preferred alternative is a new replacement bridge upstream and adjacent to the existing bridge.

Waterville ? A new Interstate 95 interchange will be opening in Waterville this Friday, July 14th.

The interchange at Exit 124 at Trafton Road in Waterville will open for vehicular traffic at approximately noon on Friday. This interchange will allow a direct access to I-95 and will help to foster business growth opportunities within the area.

Portland ? Eimskip, the Icelandic steamship company that calls on the International Marine Terminal (IMT) in Portland, Maine, today announced that they will increase port calls to weekly service beginning December 1, 2017. This will result in a 45% increase in ship calls, from 36 to 52 ships per year at the IMT.

Kittery ? As the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge replacement project nears completion, crews are scheduled to install the new bridge?s lift span, which connects Kittery, Maine and Portsmouth, New Hampshire across the Piscataqua River. The current schedule, which is subject to change, is as follows:

Tuesday, October 17th, at 6:00 a.m.: The navigational channel will be closed to all vessels - from kayaks to tankers - within a 300 yard radius of the bridge. Barges will be in position to float-in the center lift span.

The float-in of the lift span for the new Sarah Mildred Long Bridge, which connects Kittery, Maine and Portsmouth, New Hampshire across the Piscataqua River, will take place the morning of Wednesday, October 18th.

Beginning on Tuesday morning the navigational channel will be closed to all vessels - from kayaks to tankers - within a 300-yard radius of the bridge. The nearly 3 million pound center lift span will be floated in on barges across the Piscataqua River between 10:00 a.m. and noon and positioned for the float in.

Madawaska ? The Madawaska-Edmundston International Bridge linking Madawaska, Maine and Edmundston, New Brunswick will have an immediate down-posting (weight limit) to five tons beginning on Friday, October 27th.

During a recent inspection of the bridge, inspectors found significantly more steel deterioration on the floor beams and stringers than expected. As a result, engineers have determined the need for the five ton posting.