AUGUSTA - The Maine Department of Transportation will be assisting the New Hampshire Department of Transportation and the Maine Turnpike Authority with a virtual public meeting to discuss the ongoing "Maine Ahead" project on the Piscataqua River (I-95) Bridge. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss capacity improvements to the interstate during peak travel times by allowing travel on the low-speed shoulder as needed.
The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. and will be conducted via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/95253526733?pwd=S3hiNmhOcS9URlRFaURQZHBubU0xUT09
Presentation materials and the meeting link will be located on the NHDOT website: https://www.nh.gov/dot/projects/portsmouthyork16189b/index.htm
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The "Maine Ahead: Building a Better Gateway" project is a collaboration involving the Maine Department of Transportation, the Maine Turnpike Authority, and the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. The goal of the project is to revitalize and rehabilitate the travel corridor that welcomes millions of commuters, travelers, and freight drivers to Maine every year. The initiative focuses on two major construction projects on the I-95 corridor: the Piscataqua River Bridge and the York Toll Plaza. The toll plaza work involves making safety improvements and creating the ability to allow highway-speed tolling. The bridge work will extend the life of the bridge, add needed safety improvements, and prepare the structure for breakdown-lane travel during peak travel periods.
In 2018, 37 million tourists visited Maine - a 33-percent increase from 2012 tourism numbers. During normal times, 78,000 vehicles cross the Piscataqua River Bridge every day, and in the summer, that daily traffic number can climb to 130,000 vehicles. More than 15 million transactions occur at the York Toll Plaza each year. In 2019, on Labor Day weekend alone, nearly 250,000 transactions occurred at the York Toll Plaza, with 187,000 being captured electronically.
For the latest information, visit www.buildingabettergateway.com, and follow @MaineAheadNews on Facebook and Twitter.