Motorists who utilize Route 26/100 in Falmouth should be aware of periodic delays on Wednesday, February 9, and Thursday, February 10 as construction crews must close the Falmouth Railroad Bridge in order to offload steel beams that will be utilized in the construction of the new bridge.

Crews must close the bridge at 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on each day for a period of 20 minutes in order to unload large steel beams from delivery trucks. There will be only two closures each day.

Motorists who utilize I-95 northbound in Augusta need to be aware of a lane closure and possible delays at the Exit 112 Bridge on I-95 northbound starting Wednesday, February 16.

Northbound traffic will be reduced to one lane in order for crews to replace the bridge decking and surface. Northbound traffic will remain reduced to one lane until May 5, at which point two lanes of traffic will be opened with a reduced width in order to replace the shoulder area of the bridge deck.

Crews are set to begin clearing brush alongside the Calais Branch Rail Line north of downtown Ellsworth as construction begins on the initial phase of creating a 10?-wide, paved bicycle/pedestrian trail that will connect Ellsworth High School with area neighborhoods.

The bicycle/pedestrian trail will follow alongside the track from the intersection of Route 179 and Route 1A to Birch Avenue in Ellsworth. The Ellsworth High School is located near the middle of this 1.3 mile section of trail.

Motorists who utilize Cobbosseecontee Road in Monmouth need to be aware of an upcoming lane closure starting Thursday, February 17 at the Jock Stream Bridge over Jock Stream.

Flaggers will regulate alternating one-way traffic at the bridge as crews begin preliminary construction on the bridge replacement. Alternating one-way traffic will continue until approximately April 10th when the road will close in order to replace the bridge. The road is expected to remain closed until the construction is complete in late August.

Motorists who utilize Main Street in Newport should be aware of possible delays later this week due to construction work on the Main Street Bridge which carries Route 2 traffic over the east branch of the Sebasticook River in downtown Newport.

Traffic over the bridge will be reduced to one lane of alternating, one-way traffic regulated by flaggers as crews begin work on the shoulders and slope areas along the sides of the road leading up to the bridge. Work is expected to last two to three weeks.

Grant funding for Memorial Bridge Committed by USDOT

The Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) received word today that a $20 million federal grant has been secured for the replacement of the Memorial Bridge, which connects Kittery and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. MaineDOT has been working closely with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, the applicant for the grant, to complete the documentation needed so that funding for the project could be committed by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT).

Motorists who utilize Route 26/100 in Falmouth should expect delays on Wednesday, April 6 as MaineDOT crews must close one lane of traffic in order to inspect the Railroad Crossing Bridge that spans the Presumpscot River and the Pan Am railroad line.

Starting at approximately 8:30 a.m., motorists will be limited to one lane of alternating traffic, as MaineDOT engineers use an underbridge crane to conduct a structural inspection of the bridge. MaineDOT plans to reopen the bridge to two-way traffic before the evening commute later that same day.

The Maine Department of Transportation said today that a five-member selection committee has unanimously selected Eastern Maine Railroad (EMR) as the operator for the Aroostook Lines, which is the state-owned portion of the former Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway (MMA).

Preparation for this summer?s construction on I-295 in the Portland area has begun, and motorists who travel I-295 should be aware of lane shifts and closures that could cause possible delays. The construction projects mark the continuation of a series of improvement projects on I-295 that are designed to make the highway safer, preserve existing infrastructure, and improve traffic mobility.

MaineDOT bridge engineers are set to begin an intensive inspection of the Black Bridge, which is one of the four bridges that connect Topsham and Brunswick over the Androscoggin River. The bridge is expected to be closed for several weeks, as MaineDOT must build a staging area below the bridge in order to inspect the underside of the bridge.

The Black Bridge was closed Tuesday night after a vehicle crashed into the bridge?s steel suspension rods and pressure-treated guardrail. The steel suspension rods are the main support system for the bridge deck.