Major Central Maine Bridge Partially Closed to Traffic Until Early August

In addition to being tourist season, summer in Maine is also road construction season.

Considering much of Maine becomes a frozen tundra for a third of the year, it makes sense that most of the state’s road construction would be done during the warmer months.  Yes, we know that construction crews work all year long, but the majority happens during the summer.

One of the summer’s largest construction projects got underway this week.

According to the Maine Department of Transportation's Facebook page, the replacement of the road surface on the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Bridge began on Monday.  During the construction of the bridge, which connects Gardiner and Randolph, eastbound travel will be prohibited.  Westbound traffic will not be impeded.

The Department of Transportation website says, in part:

The wearing surface on Pearl Harbor Remembrance bridge will be replaced in kind, with a new 2” highly polymerized asphalt pavement. This new wearing surface will replace the current “Rosphalt” surface which was installed in 2008, and is reaching the end of its useful life. The maintenance of traffic for the project will utilize a directional detour, which will remove eastbound traffic to Randolph from the bridge during construction.

 

Those in the Gardiner area who want to cross the Kennebec River will need to find an alternate route.  Your two best options are to travel north to cross the river in Augusta, or travel south to cross the river in Richmond.  You can find additional information about alternate routes HERE.

The work, which is being done by Wyman & Simpson, is expected to take about thirty days.  The Maine DOT website gives an estimated completion date of August 16.

The Maine DOT recently provided an update to one of the other major Central Maine construction projects: the replacement of the Ticonic Bridge between Waterville and Winslow.  You can see some pictures of that project here.