Portland ? Buckley McAllister, President of McAllister Towing & Transportation, announced today that the Maine Port Authority has selected McAllister as its partner for the design of a containerized articulated tug barge (ATB) to operate between Portland and New York for the New England Marine Highway Project.

Topsham ? A public meeting to discuss the future of the Black Free Bridge will be held on Wednesday, May 29th at the Topsham Town Office from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The town office is located at 100 Main Street in Topsham.

The Black Free Bridge, spanning the Androscoggin River, was closed in April of 2011. Officials from the MaineDOT will be on hand to report on the inspection results, tentative plans and other options moving forward.

Leeds ? Route 219 in Leeds will be closed for 5 days beginning on Monday, June 3rd due to a culvert replacement project.

This project is located on Route 219, approximately 600 ft. west of the intersection of Route 106. Message boards and detour signs will guide motorists along the 18 mile detour route of Route 133 and Route 106.

This effort involves replacing an old 5 ft. diameter corrugated metal pipe with a new 8 ft. diameter reinforced concrete pipe. Due to the depth of the excavation, it is necessary to close the road to perform the work safely.

Ellsworth ? Two paving projects will begin on Monday, June 3rd in Ellsworth.

The first location will be .04 miles northerly of the intersection of Beechland Road, Buttermilk Road and High Street, extending southerly 0.66 miles to 1.89 miles northerly of the intersection of Route 3 and Jordan River Road in Trenton. This project involves pavement milling and repaving along with some drainage improvements. Two-way traffic will be maintained with anticipated completion at the end of July.

Augusta ? The northbound on-ramp of I-95 Exit 113 in Augusta will reopen Monday afternoon, June 3. The on-ramp had been closed temporarily beginning April 22nd, with traffic detoured via Route 104 to Exit 120 in Sidney. The on-ramp closure and detour allowed crews to reconstruct the Exit 113 northbound on-ramp.

Dixmont/Newburgh ? A paving project along with drainage improvement work will start on Route 202 at the Dixmont/Troy town line on Monday, June 3rd.

The pavement ?overlay? will extend northerly from the Dixmont/Troy town line for 10.67 miles to just south of the intersection of Western Avenue and Chapman Road.

Flaggers will assist motorists with alternating one-way traffic through this area. Motorists should use caution and please reduce speed in the work zones.

It is anticipated all work will be completed by mid to late August.

Kittery ? Interstate 95 ramps in Kittery will be receiving treatment overnights this week, weather depending.

• Tuesday, June 4th will see the Route 236 north on-ramp to I-95 southbound closed from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. The on-ramp from Route 1 south to I-95 southbound will also be closed after the ramp from Route 236 re-opens until 5 a.m.

• Wednesday, June 5th will see Exit 2 south on I-95 closed from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

• Thursday, June 6th the Dennett Road on-ramp to I-95 southbound will be closed from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Leeds ? The closure of Route 219 in Leeds will continue through the weekend.

Work on the culvert replacement project is located approximately 600 ft. west of the intersection of Route 106. An 18 mile detour route takes motorists along Route 133 and Route 106.

This effort involves replacing an old 5 ft. diameter corrugated metal pipe with a new 8 ft. diameter reinforced concrete pipe. Due to the depth of the excavation, it has been necessary to close the road to perform the work safely.

Starting Monday, June 17th, I-95 northbound from Island Falls to Oakfield will be closed. Motorists will be guided onto Route 2 for the approximately 6.5 mile detour route.

Crews will be rebuilding this stretch of I-95 northbound to minimize frost heaves.

The Route 2 detour is not expected to add significant time or miles for northbound motorists.

In addition, road work will take place approximately 1.5 miles north of the Oakfield exit, which will require temporary lane closures.

From our friends at the Maine Turnpike

Emergency repairs necessary to accurately charge E-Z Pass tolls will require closing one of two toll lanes used by vehicles entering the Turnpike for southbound travel at Exit 63 in Gray. Motorists will likely experience long delays and heavy congestion on nearby roads and are advised to seek alternate routes, especially between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., Thursday, June 13th, Friday, June 14th and possibly Monday, June 17th.