AUGUSTA - The Maine Department of Transportation will begin installing new traffic signal equipment in Augusta on Wednesday, July 21st. The first part of this project will involve the intersections along Route 27 (Civic Center Drive) from Route 3 (Old Belgrade Road) to Townsend Road.
This work is part of a statewide traffic signal modification project, involving the installation of state-of-the-art traffic signal equipment at 104 intersections in 13 municipalities (including Augusta, Sanford, and Waterville). These signals will include smart technology, enabling them to learn and adapt to traffic patterns. The new signals will integrate with vehicle-detection equipment and connected vehicle technologies. The signals will be part of a central traffic management system; they will communicate with MaineDOT's Transportation Management Center (TMC) in Augusta. Once this system is in place, MaineDOT will have the ability to remotely access the traffic signals in order to validate complaints, create an appropriate action plan, and address problems more efficiently (in some cases, without having to send personnel into the field).
The work in Augusta is the first phase of this project and is expected to be finished by October 2022. The second phase of work will center around Waterville and Winslow in 2023. The final phase of the project will include traffic improvements in Sanford, Belfast, Farmington, and Gardiner. All work is expected to be finished by October 2024.
The contractor on this project is Dagle Electrical Construction Corporation of Lewiston. The contract amount is $20,844,812. MaineDOT received an $8-million Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grant to help pay for the $23.5-million project cost.