MADAWASKA - The Maine Department of Transportation will be holding an informational public open house on Thursday, March 12th regarding the Madawaksa-Edmundston International Bridge replacement project. The open house will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EST in the Madawaksa Middle/High School cafeteria at 135 Seventh Ave. in Madawaska. In the event of inclement weather, the open house will be pushed to the following Thursday, March 19th.

MaineDOT Commissioner Bruce Van Note released the following statement today:

At MaineDOT, our top priority is always safety. Not only does that mean the safety of our workers, but it also means the safety of our production partners and the traveling public. The current challenge does not change that. Road crews still need to plow snow, help first responders during traffic incidents, cut brush, and fill potholes as the weather warms. Capital projects still need to be designed, put out to bid, and constructed.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY - The Maine Department of Transportation is resuming work on Route 25 in Gorham and Westbrook. The project area begins where Route 25 intersects with Cressey Road in Gorham and extends east for approximately five miles, ending at the southeasternmost intersection of Route 25 and Conant Street in Westbrook. The remaining work on this project involves paving between Cressey Road and Meadowbrook Drive in Gorham. We will be doing signal work at the intersections of School Street, Elm Street, New Portland Road, and Libby Avenue.

ROCKLAND - The Maine State Ferry Service will be reducing its schedule due to a significant decrease in ridership and to help minimize the spread of COVID-19. This reduction in service will take effect on Saturday, March 28th and remain in effect until further notice. Like many other ferry services across the country, we have experienced a recent decrease in ridership as a result of the current health climate. These reduced ridership levels will still allow passengers to practice social distancing even with fewer trips between the mainland the six islands served by the Ferry Service.

MARCH 25TH UPDATE:

This week's snow delayed some of this work. In addition to the below closures, the contractor also plans to close both northbound lanes of the interstate from 11:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 26th until 5:00 a.m. on Friday, March 27th.

ORIGINAL MARCH 19TH PRESS RELEASE:

BANGOR - MaineDOT's ongoing Ohio Street Bridge demolition work will require several overnight lane closures on I-95 next week. These lane closures are necessary for the safety of the traveling public while our crews remove the bridge beams. The schedule is as follows:

WISCASSET - The two new traffic signals in downtown Wiscasset will be going live on Tuesday, March 31st. These signals are at the intersection of Main Street (Route 1) and Middle Street as well as at the intersection of Main Street (Route 1) and Water Street. The Maine Department of Transportation tested these signals in both October and February. Once they go live at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, they will remain active year-round.

CUMBERLAND AND SAGADAHOC COUNTIES - The Maine Department of Transportation will be doing paving work on the Sagadahoc Bridge and on a five-mile-long stretch of U.S. Route 1 in Brunswick, West Bath, and Bath. The road work will begin at the Cooks Corner interchange in Brunswick and extend east to the Bath Viaduct, including the ramps at New Meadows Road and Congress Avenue. The Sagadahoc Bridge crosses the Kennebec River on the Bath/Woolwich town line. This work will provide a smoother riding surface, drainage improvements, and safety upgrades.

ORONO - The Maine Department of Transportation is repairing the Kelley Road Bridge in Orono. The bridge spans I-95. We will be replacing the bridge deck and bearings as well as repairing the bridge piers. Preliminary work began this week. Drivers should expect intermittent lane closures on the interstate between now and May 11th. We expect the bridge will be closed from mid-May to late August with a final project completion date in October. The contractor for this project is CPM Constructors of Freeport.

GARDINER - The Maine Department of Transportation's Maine Avenue Bridge replacement project in Gardiner will be largely on hold after this week. Our contracting partners at Reed & Reed, Inc. are stopping work on Friday, April 10th because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The contractor notified MaineDOT that this work stoppage will last at least two weeks. MaineDOT employees are still working during this period. We continue to follow Maine CDC guidance to make sure all of our workers and industry partners can work safely.

WISCASSET - The Maine Department of Transportation is beginning the final phase of construction in downtown Wiscasset. This phase will focus on the south end of Water Street and the development of the new parking lot. Pike Industries will begin mobilizing equipment and materials during the week of April 13th. The contractor will also be putting up signs and message boards. Pike will begin making drainage and roadway improvements starting the week of April 20th. Work will take place between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. The project completion date is July 11th.