PORTLAND - The Maine Department of Transportation reopened Route 1/Veranda Street under the Veranda Street Bridge in Portland at 2:00 p.m. today. The road had been closed for a full week to accommodate the rapid replacement of the Veranda Street Bridge on I-295 between Exits 9 and 10. The interstate was closed to traffic at 7:00 p.m. on Friday and reopened at 7:00 a.m. today four hours ahead of schedule.

PORTLAND - The Maine Department of Transportation opened the new Veranda Street Bridge to traffic shortly before 7:00 a.m. today four hours ahead of schedule. This bridge carries I-295 over Route 1/Veranda Street (between Exits 9 and 10) in Portland. It is one of the most heavily travelled corridors in the State of Maine. The new bridge is designed to last 100 years.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY - The Maine Department of Transportation is continuing a paving project on the southbound side of I-295 in Portland and South Portland. The project area begins at the Portland city line and extends nearly 11 mile south, including on- and off-ramps.

This work will be done at night, between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. No work will be allowed on Saturday nights or Sunday mornings. Work will also not be allowed on the weekends of Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day.

KENNEBEC AND SOMERSET COUNTIES - The Maine Department of Transportation will be doing paving work and making other safety improvements along I-95 between Waterville and Pittsfield. This work will impact approximately 18 miles of the interstate both the northbound and southbound sides between the area near Exit 127 in Waterville and the Johnson Flat Road overpass in Pittsfield.

AUGUSTA - The GO MAINE statewide ride-sharing program is expanding its push for environmentally friendly, green travel choices in its biggest, most robust initiative to date.

This news release is being posted by the Maine Department of Transportation on behalf of the Maine Port Authority.

AUGUSTA - The Maine Port Authority is pleased to announce that Matthew Burns has been named its Executive Director. Maine Port Authority Board members voted unanimously last month to hire Burns, who had been serving as interim Executive Director for the past year. He officially began his new role on May 1st.

FRANKLIN COUNTY - The Maine Department of Transportation will be doing paving work on approximately 12 miles of Route 27 in Franklin County. The project area begins at the Carrabassett Valley town line in Wyman Township and extends north through Coplin Plantation and Eustis. It ends at the Jim Pond Township town line. Work is scheduled to begin on May 9th and end on July 22nd. Drivers may encounter a one-way, alternating traffic pattern. The contractor on this project is Pike Industries, Inc. of Fairfield. The contract amount is $3,420,848.

ANDROSCOGGIN AND KENNEBEC COUNTIES - The Maine Department of Transportation will be doing paving work and making other improvements along Route 219 in Leeds and Wayne. The work area begins just east of North Road in Leeds and extends nearly four miles east to Route 133 in Wayne. This will be daytime work and will involve some alternating, one-lane traffic patterns. Construction is scheduled to run from May 10th through June 30th. The contractor for this work is All States Materials Group, headquartered in Sunderland, Massachusetts.

KENNEBEC COUNTY - The Maine Department of Transportation will be doing paving work and making other improvements along Route 9 in Wales, Monmouth, and Litchfield. The work area begins in Wales, at the Sabattus town line, and extends north for approximately 7.5 miles through Monmouth and into part of Litchfield. This will be daytime work and will involve some alternating, one-lane traffic patterns. Construction is scheduled to run from May 10th through June 30th. The contractor for this work is All States Materials Group, headquartered in Sunderland, Massachusetts.

YARMOUTH - There will be night construction work next week as part of the ongoing project to replace the two bridges that carry I-295 over Route 1 near Exit 17 in Yarmouth. Crews will work between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. from Sunday, May 15th through Friday, May 20th. Route 1 traffic will be reduced to a single lane of alternating traffic. Nearby residents should expect loud noise and vibrations.