ROCKLAND, Maine ? The Maine Department of Transportation and Schooner Bay Taxi, a private taxi service located in Rockland, Maine, are pleased to announce the groundbreaking arrival of the state?s first handicapped accessible taxis to serve individuals with disabilities in the midcoast region of the state.

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine ? MaineDOT crews must close the McBurnie Road in Presque Isle in order to replace a deteriorating culvert.

Starting Monday, August 22, the McBurnie Road will be closed for 12 days, and is scheduled to reopen on Friday, September 2. During that time, the road will be closed to through traffic. The culvert is located approximately 1.7 miles north of the intersection of Route 164 with the McBurnie Road.

While the McBurnie Road is closed, motorists will be directed to a signed detour that uses Route 164, Route 1 and the Doyle Road.

NORWAY, Maine ? MaineDOT crews are set to begin bridge construction on Cottage Street in Norway starting Monday, August 29.

Crews will be replacing the traveling surface of the Bird Brook Bridge on Cottage Street in Norway, and during the construction, there will be one-way, alternating traffic regulated by signs.

If there are no unexpected delays, construction is expected to be completed within eight weeks. Motorists are asked to obey all posted signs in the construction zone.

NAPLES, Maine ? On Wednesday night, August 24, there will several temporary closures of the Naples Bay Bridge on Route 302 in Naples, halting vehicle traffic for up to 20 minutes.

These closures will be timed to occur between the hours of 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday night into Thursday morning in order for construction crews to install sheet piles. While these closures are temporary, they are expected to last between 15-20 minutes.

If crews do not complete the installation of sheet piles on Wednesday night, similar closures will occur Thursday night.

PROSPECT, Maine ? In order to prepare for the potential impacts of Hurricane Irene, the Maine Department of Transportation has decided to close the Penobscot Narrows Bridge Observatory beginning at noon, Friday, August 26. Crews plan to reopen the observatory as scheduled on Tuesday, August 30 at 9 a.m. The bridge will remain open to vehicle traffic while the observatory is closed.

PORTLAND, Maine ? The Maine Department of Transportation announced today that all lanes and previously closed on- and off-ramps on Tukeys Bridge on I-295 are scheduled to reopen within days, weeks ahead of schedule. The Tukeys Bridge project is the largest individual project in the $24 million I-295 rehabilitation project.

FREEPORT, Maine -- Construction on Interstate 295 in Freeport calls for on- and off-ramp closings this week. The following schedule details the timing for the closings and alternate routes:

Monday, August 29

-Exit 20 southbound on-ramp, closed 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. ? Use either Exit 22 (Mallett Drive) in Freeport or Exit 17 (Route 1) in Yarmouth to enter Interstate 295 southbound.

-Exit 24 northbound on- and off-ramp, closed 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. ? Use Exit 22 (Mallett Drive) in Freeport to exit/enter Interstate 295 northbound.

CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine ? MaineDOT engineers and crews continue to work on roads and bridges damaged in the wake of tropical storm Irene. Much of the worst damage occurred in northern Franklin and Oxford countries where heavy rains washed out roads and two bridges.

At its peak, nearly 200 roads were affected by storm, as well as a dozen bridges. Currently, Route 27 in Carrabassett Valley; Route 232 in Rumford; and Route 113 in Fryeburg are now closed due to flooding or damage by high waters.

CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine ? Maine Department of Transportation construction crews are set to begin temporary repairs to Route 27 tomorrow morning (August 31) in order to transport construction equipment to the site of the closed bridges.

CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine ? The Maine Department of Transportation, and its contractor, Reed & Reed, Inc., began construction today on installing two temporary bridges on Route 27 in Carrabassett Valley that are expected to open on Tuesday, September 6.

?MaineDOT and Reed and Reed are focusing their efforts on working through the holiday in order to restore traffic as quickly as possible,? said MaineDOT?s Joyce Taylor, who is overseeing the reconstruction process.