The Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) will begin its annual brush-control program along Maine?s highways starting Tuesday, July 6th, in locations throughout the state.

?We will spray selected roads in 4 of our 5 regions statewide this year. Only one region, Region 1, headquartered in Scarborough, will not be spraying brush along state roadsides in 2010,? explained Bob Moosmann, MaineDOT?s statewide vegetation manager who oversees the Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management Program for the department.

The Route 1A highway reconstruction and widening project in Ellsworth will stop from noon on Thursday, July 1 until 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 6, 2010 to accommodate holiday traffic headed to and from the DownEast and Acadia regions. There is a possibility of some paving work on Thursday night until 6 a.m. Friday morning.

Work is progressing as planned on the highway project that will result in wider travel lanes, paved shoulders and a smoother road surface along Route 1A.

MaineDOT bridge maintenance crews are set to begin repair work on the Buttermilk Cove Bridge in Brunswick, which carries Prince?s Point Road over a narrow section of Buttermilk Cove. Construction is set to begin Monday, July 19.

Traffic will be reduced to one lane during the duration of the 8-week project, and will be regulated by ?STOP? and ?Proceed When Clear? traffic signs.

Crews will be removing and then replacing the bridge?s traveling surface. If there are no weather-related delays, the project is expected to be completed within eight weeks.

MaineDOT bridge maintenance crews are set to begin repairs to the New Bridge on Route 215 on the Newcastle/Nobleboro town line. The New Bridge spans the outlet of Damariscotta Lake.

Crews will be replacing the concrete travel surface of the bridge, which provides for a smoother ride while protecting the bridge substructure. During the construction, traffic will be limited to one lane of alternating one-way traffic regulated by ?STOP? and ?Proceed When Clear? signs. If there are no weather-related delays, the project is expected to be completed within six weeks.

The Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) is awarding nearly $600,000 ($582,678) in grants to 7 coastal cities and towns under the Small Harbor Improvement Program (SHIP). This includes a $100,000 grant from the Department of Conservation?s Bureau of Parks and Lands Shore and Harbor Management Fund.

Starting the week of July 19, construction crews will be working on roads in Augusta and Palermo.

Crews will first repave a section of Route 9 near Maine General Hospital. This roadwork is expected to last approximately four weeks, and work will be done at night. Crews will also be working nights repaving the intersection of Route 3 and the Church Hill Road in Augusta This intersection construction is expected to last two weeks.

The Maine Department of Transportation must close a section of Route 23 in Fairfield in order to replace two failing steel pipe culverts. Route 23 in Fairfield will be closed between the intersections of Gagnon Road and Six Rod Road from Monday, July 26 through Friday, August 6.

Crews are set to remove the culverts starting Monday, July 26. Crews will remove and replace the culverts individually in order to minimize disruptions. Local residential traffic can utilize that section of Route 23 between Gagnon Road and Six Rod Road, but it will not be passable to through traffic.

MaineDOT announced today that contractors will establish a weekend lane closure on I-295 northbound lanes in Yarmouth, reducing traffic from two lanes to one from three miles south of the Royal River Bridge to just after that bridge. The lane closure will begin at approximately 9:00 p.m. on Friday, July 23 and remain in effect until 12:00 noon on Monday, July 26. The weekend lane closure will be repeated the following weekend, if weather conditions allow work to proceed.

MaineDOT announced today that contractors working in the greater Portland area will close certain exits on I-295 overnight on selected dates this week in order to allow for paving and bridgework. The schedule of overnight exit closures may change if inclement weather prevents paving, but it currently includes:

Wednesday night, 7/21

Reports indicate that the reduction of I-295 northbound to one lane for a three-mile section of the highway approaching the Royal River Bridge in Yarmouth is causing significant traffic delays. The lane closure, which was announced several days ago, is necessary due to bridgework and paving. The lane closure went into effect as scheduled on Friday evening, July 23 at approximately 9:00 p.m. and will continue until 12:00 noon on Monday, July 26. The weekend lane closure will be repeated the following weekend, Friday July 30th through Monday August 2nd, if weather conditions allow.