The Maine Department of Transportation will be holding a public workshop in Portland this evening to discuss the upcoming I-295 Veranda Street Bridge Replacement Project. This is part of an ongoing effort to engage the public. The purpose of this workshop is to solicit meaningful public input and feedback regarding project design and implementation.

BAR HARBOR - The Maine Department of Transportation will be doing paving work on Route 3 in Bar Harbor during the first few weeks of this month. We will be reinstating the one-way detour that uses Park Loop Road. Access to all homes and businesses along Route 3 will be maintained throughout the paving process.

PROSPECT - The opening of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge Observatory will be delayed for several weeks. The observatory's fire suppression system needs to be fully operational before the Maine Department of Transportation can open the observatory to the public. A valve on that fire suppression system failed, so we have ordered a replacement, but the part needs to be specially constructed for us. We hope to be able to open the observatory by Memorial Day weekend.

KENNEBEC AND SOMERSET COUNTIES - The Maine Department of Transportation is continuing paving work on the southbound side of I-95 between Fairfield and Waterville. Some daytime work will require lane closures on both the southbound and northbound sides. Night work will close exit ramps on the southbound side at Exit 133 from Sunday night into Monday morning, at Exit 132 from Monday night into Tuesday morning, and at Exit 130 from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Drivers should use alternate exits. Also, we will be using message boards to alert drivers of the construction.

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.