NORTH BERWICK - The Maine Department of Transportation and CSX are working to make safety improvements and improve track conditions at a railroad crossing on Route 4 in North Berwick. This project will result in a safer crossing for vehicles; it will also allow the Downeaster to travel at increased speeds. MaineDOT worked with CSX to secure Federal Highway Administration grant funding to help support these safety improvements.
BRUNSWICK/TOPSHAM - The Maine Department of Transportation will be performing a bridge inspection of the Frank J. Wood Bridge on Tuesday, October 24th. This bridge carries Route 201 between Brunswick and Topsham. Because of the poor condition of the fracture critical Frank J. Wood Bridge, MaineDOT engineers inspect it every six months instead of the normal every 24 month frequency. Construction of a new bridge is currently underway.
LINCOLN COUNTY - The Maine Department of Transportation will be rehabilitating the Southport Bridge the movable bridge that carries Route 27 over the Townsend Gut at the Boothbay Harbor/Southport town line. Specifically, this work will involve replacing elements of the bridge structure, overhauling the electrical and control system, replacing mechanical equipment, and adding safety features.
ALBION - The Maine Department of Transportation is closing the Puddle Dock Bridge in Albion today after the structure failed a routine inspection. The bridge carries South Freedom Road over Fifteen Mile Stream. On an average day, approximately 400 vehicles use this bridge. Originally constructed in 1933, the bridge is scheduled to be replaced in 2025. The detour using state roads is approximately 12 miles long.
UPDATE: This work had been postponed from last month. It is beginning this week.
AUGUSTA - On Tuesday, November 14th, the Maine Department of Transportation will hold the third of three in-person stakeholder group meetings to assist the department in identifying and developing strategies to address highway mobility and transportation needs in northern Maine. This third meeting will be held at 10:00 a.m. in the Caribou Wellness and Recreation Center, located at 55 Bennett Drive. Members of the public are welcome to attend and provide comments.
OLD TOWN - The Maine Department of Transportation will be intermittently closing traffic lanes on the Llewellyn Estes Bridges that carry Stillwater Avenue over the Stillwater River in Old Town in the coming weeks. These lane closures are necessary to allow paving work on the approaches for the temporary bridge. There will be an alternating, single-lane traffic pattern during these closures. They will only happen between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. from Monday, November 6th through Friday, November 17th. Each lane closure is not expected to last longer than two hours.
MADAWASKA - The International Bridge that connects Madawaska, Maine to Edmundston, New Brunswick will be closed to daytime vehicle traffic for three days this week to accommodate paving work on the Canadian side. The land port of entry in Edmundston will be closed to vehicle traffic from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. AST (7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST) on Tuesday, November 7th; Wednesday, November 8th; and Thursday, November 9th. Pedestrian traffic will still have access to the bridge and the port of entry.
MACHIAS - The Maine Department of Transportation is taking action to preserve the safety and reliability of the Machias Dike Bridge after recent inspections showed increasing voids within the structure. Part of the shoulder and parking area on the southbound (upstream) side of the bridge are being closed today. In the coming months, the department is planning to put a temporary bridge over the existing structure to maintain traffic on the bridge and adjacent Sunrise Trail. The construction of this temporary bridge will result in the closure of Route 1 for approximately one week.
ROCKLAND - The new Maine State Ferry Service vessel being built to serve Matinicus Isle will be named the Charles Norman Shay after the heroic Maine veteran and member of the Penobscot Nation who served as a combat medic during the D-Day invasion.