FRANKLIN AND OXFORD COUNTIES - The Maine Department of Transportation is conducting paving work and guardrail improvements on Routes 4, 140, and 17 in Franklin and Oxford Counties. This work will require alternating one-way traffic from Monday through Saturday.

NORTHFIELD - On May 20th, the Maine Department of Transportation will begin working to replace the bridge that carries Route 192 (Northfield Road) over Bog Stream in Northfield. The work area is about two miles south of the Wesley town line. We expect a short traffic detour during the summer months. The contractor for this job is Sargent Corporation of Old Town. The completion date for this project is May 29th, 2020, but the contractor may be done nine months early by September 20th, 2019.

OXFORD COUNTY - The Maine Department of Transportation will begin paving work on Routes 26 and 117 in Norway, Paris, and West Paris on May 13th. Crews will be improving the road surface and drainage. The work on Route 26 begins a half-mile north of Main Street in Norway and extends almost 11 miles north, through Paris and West Paris, ending at the Woodstock town line. Crews will also be working on short segments of Route 117 in South Paris. This will be day and night work. Drivers should expect delays and try to use alternate routes.

AUGUSTA - As the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) indicated last week, it is revising its Construction Advertising Schedule. This is part of MaineDOT's efforts to reconcile surging construction costs with available funding.

Last week, we announced that we were making a course correction. We rejected bids on three projects because the bids had greatly exceeded our anticipated costs. Since then, we have seen bids come in significantly higher: on average, about 30 percent higher than last year. Estimates had already been increased by 10 percent in January 2019.

HALLOWELL - The Maine Department of Transportation will be paving Water Street in Hallowell next week. This will be one of the final steps in MaineDOT's downtown revitalization project.

The work will begin on Monday, May 20th and last four days. Crews will begin work at daybreak and plan to finish by 3:00 p.m. As with all outdoor work, this paving is dependent on the weather.

GORHAM - The Maine Department of Transportation is planning to do paving and sidewalk-improvement work on Route 237 (Mosher Road) in Gorham. The project begins one-third of a mile north of Queen Street and extends north to the Route 202 intersection. Drivers should anticipate one-way alternating traffic during daytime construction activities. Glidden Excavating & Paving, Inc. of Gorham is the contractor on this project, which is scheduled to begin on May 20th and be finished by June 21st.

PENOBSCOT AND AROOSTOOK COUNTIES - The Maine Department of Transportation is conducting paving work on the northbound side of I-95 in Penobscot and Aroostook Counties. The work area begins in Herseytown Township and extends nearly 49 miles east to Houlton and the Canadian border. During work hours, traffic will be reduced to one lane and the speed limit will be reduced to 55 mph. Ramp closures for milling and paving work will happen overnight. All States Asphalt, Inc. of Sunderland, Massachusetts is the contractor on this work, which is expected to continue through October 2nd.

SOMERSET COUNTY - The Maine Department of Transportation is doing paving work on Route 2 in the Somerset County towns of Canaan and Pittsfield. The project begins at the intersection of Routes 2 and 23 in Canaan and extends east for more than six miles. It ends just west of Phillips Corner Road in Pittsfield. Crews will alternate one-way traffic during this work. Pike Industries of Fairfield is the contractor on this project, which is scheduled to be finished by June 30th.

SOMERSET COUNTY - The Maine Department of Transportation will be conducting paving work on Routes 201 and 2 in the Somerset County towns of Fairfield, Skowhegan, and Norridgewock. The work area begins in Fairfield a little bit more than one mile north of Western Avenue and extends north/northwest on Route 201 for nearly 14 miles to the intersection of Route 104 in Skowhegan. The project area then extends west on Route 2 into Norridgewock for approximately five miles. Drivers should expect occasional one-lane alternative traffic patterns. Some work will be done at night.

KENNEBEC COUNTY - The Maine Department of Transportation is doing pavement preservation work on a 13-mile stretch of Route 3 in Kennebec County. The project area begins just east of Church Hill Road in Augusta and extends northeast through Vassalboro and into China. Some night work is being allowed on this project. All States Asphalt of Richmond is doing the work, which is scheduled to be finished by July 15th.