Farmingdale, ME ? Sargent Corporation officials announced today that Route 201 in Farmingdale will be closed to thru-traffic from approximately 7PM Friday, Sept. 9 until Thursday night, Sept. 15, weather permitting. The construction of a large box culvert between Northern Ave. and Sheldon St. requires that the road be closed and for a detour to be in effect. Rt. 201 will be open to local traffic only between Maple St. and Sheldon St. for access to homes and businesses. Access to all businesses will be maintained. Officials are encouraging thru-traffic to use Rt. 9 on the east side of the Kennebec River or some other alternate route to reduce congestion for local traffic seeking to access homes and businesses along Rt. 201.
The detour will be posted at Maple St. for southbound traffic, and at Northern Ave. for northbound traffic. The detour route will be well marked with signs and will direct southbound drivers onto Maple St., then Blaine Rd., Bowman St. and Peacock St, and finally Northern Ave. to return to Rt. 201. The detour route will be the reverse for northbound drivers.
Local traffic will be able to access all homes and businesses within the work zone, but will be routed around the immediate closure area via Sheldon St. and Northern Ave. Flaggers will control local traffic and Sargent officials say that delays should be expected. Similarly, pedestrian and bicycle traffic will be detoured to the Rail Trail at the site of the closure.
Mike Light, Project Superintendent for Sargent Corporation stated, "This particular box culvert installation is the largest in this project and the only one that will require temporarily closing the road to through traffic." Light continued, "Our crews will be working around the clock to make the closure as brief as possible."
Sargent Corporation is constructing the $6 million reconstruction of Route 201 for MaineDOT. When completed, the work will result in two newly paved lanes, each 11 feet wide, paved shoulders 5 feet wide on both sides, new lighting at the Northern Avenue intersection, cross-walks with signs and blinking caution lights and a continuous 5-foot sidewalk along the west side of the road.
Please visit the MaineDOT Farmingdale Route 201 Project Website to view a new print ad and a school bus flyer about this closure.
For more information on the reconstruction of Route 201 and other construction projects around the state, drivers are encouraged to visit MaineDOT.gov where it is also possible to sign up for email alerts.