PORTLAND AND SOUTH PORTLAND - The Maine Department of Transportation is conducting overnight paving work on four bridges on I-295 in Portland and South Portland. This work is being done to preserve the bridge surfaces until we can do more thorough work in future years. The four bridges that we are repairing are Tukey's Bridge Northbound and Southbound, Fore River Bridge Northbound, Fore River Bridge Southbound, and the Fore River Parkway Bridge Northbound. Crews will be milling and repaving the surface of Tukey's Bridge. The other three bridges will be overlaid with new asphalt. The contractor on this project is Pike Industries, Inc.
The work began on the evening of Monday, October 28th and will continue every night until it's finished. Working hours will be from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Inclement weather has delayed some of this work. We expect to finish it by Tuesday, November 5th. Drivers should expect lane restrictions. We are using message boards to alert people about this upcoming work.
Earlier this year, MaineDOT had to delay a more significant project involving work on the I-295 corridor because a heated construction bidding environment led to bid prices coming in at more than double what we had expected to pay for the work. This bridge deck paving work is being done to ensure safety and mobility on the parts of the interstate that are exhibiting the greatest needs. All future work on this corridor, like all MaineDOT work, is dependent on safety criteria and the availability of funding.