TRENTON - Today, the Maine Department of Transportation joined with local, state, and federal partners from both the public and private sectors to celebrate the beginning of construction on the new Acadia Gateway Center in Trenton.

OXFORD COUNTY - The Maine Department of Transportation will be doing paving work on approximately 13 mils of Route 5/113 in Oxford County. The project area begins north of Route 117 in Hiram and extends north, through Brownfield, ending south of Pine Street in Fryeburg. Work is scheduled to begin on May 30th and be completed by July 28th. The contractor on this project is Glidden Excavating & Paving, Inc. of Gorham. The contract amount is $2,112,394.

PENOBSCOT COUNTY - The Maine Department of Transportation will be making pavement improvements in various locations on both the northbound and southbound sides of I-95 between Old Town and Medway in Penobscot County. Work is scheduled to begin on May 30th and be complete by June 23rd. Drivers may encounter reduced lanes and speeds. The contractor on this project is Indus of Braintree, MA. The contract amount is $470,755.

MADAWASKA - The Maine Department of Transportation will be conducting its annual inspection of the International Bridge between Madawaska, Maine and Edmundston, New Brunswick next week. This work will require the full closure of the bridge to vehicle traffic between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. from Monday, June 5th through Saturday, June 10th. The sidewalk will remain open. Any additional inspection work after these dates is not expected to impact vehicle traffic.

ROCKLAND - The Maine Department of Transportation is pleased to announce that William Geary, Jr. is the new Director of the Maine State Ferry Service.

Born on Vinalhaven, Bill is a 1998 graduate of Maine Maritime Academy, where he earned an Unlimited 3rd Mate's license. He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy for six years and was involved in the Kosovo Campaign.

NORWAY - The Maine Department of Transportation will be doing paving work on Route 117 in Norway. The project area begins 0.8 miles north of the Otisfield town line and extends north for approximately three miles to the intersection of Routes 117 and 118. Work is scheduled to begin on June 9th and be completed by July 14th. Drivers may encounter a single-lane, alternating traffic pattern during daytime hours. The contractor on this project is Pratt & Sons, Inc. of Minot. The contract amount is $875,000.

CORNISH/HIRAM - The Maine Department of Transportation will be rehabilitating the Hiram Bridge, which carries Bridge Street over the Ossipee River between Cornish and Hiram. Some elements of the bridge are experiencing advanced deterioration. The bridge is currently posted at 22 tons. Rehabilitation work will extend the life of the bridge and may allow for a less-restrictive bridge posting. This work will require the bridge to be closed to traffic from June 14th until August 25th. Detoured traffic should use Durgintown Road and South Hiram Road.

ANDROSCOGGIN AND CUMBERLAND COUNTIES - The Maine Department of Transportation will be doing paving work and making other improvements along nearly 11 miles of Routes 122 and 26 in Auburn, New Gloucester, Poland, and Mechanic Falls. The project area begins where Route 122 meets Route 100/4 in Auburn. It runs along Route 122, through New Gloucester, until it meets Route 26 in Poland. The project area then extends north just past the intersection of Routes 26 and 11 in Mechanic Falls. Work is scheduled to begin on June 12th and be finished by September 30th.

SEARSPORT - The Maine Department of Transportation is beginning work on a project that involves rehabilitation and reconstruction of Route 1 in downtown Searsport.

The work area begins at Savage Road and extends north for nearly two miles to Station Avenue. The project involves the addition of a center left-turn lane between Trundy Road and Station Avenue. This work will also involve eliminating gaps in sidewalks to create a continuous accessible route downtown for pedestrians. MaineDOT is working with the town to install pedestrian lighting and brick sidewalks.

WISCASSET - The Maine Department of Transportation will be replacing the railroad crossing on Route 1 in Wiscasset next week. This work will require the closure of Route 1 at Federal Street and Eddy Road from 8:00 p.m. on Monday, June 26th until 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 27th. Signs will direct drivers to a detour using Federal Street, Route 218, and Sheepscott Road. The contractor on this project is Maine Track Maintenance of Waterville. The contract amount is approximately $80,000.