WATERVILLE/WINSLOW - On January 6th, 2025, the Maine Department of Transportation will be closing the Ticonic Bridge to all traffic for approximately six months as part of the ongoing work to replace the bridge, which carries Route 201 over the Kennebec River between Waterville and Windslow. Both vehicles and pedestrians will be required to follow the posted detour routes. Vehicles will be detoured south to the Carter Memorial Bridge. Pedestrians will be detoured north to the Two Cent Bridge.

SAGADAHOC AND KENNEBEC COUNTIES - The Maine Department of Transportation is making improvements on both the northbound and southbound sides of I-295 between Topsham and Gardiner. This work involves paving work as well as work on the bridges over Routes 125/138 at Exit 37 in Bowdoinham and the Cobbosseecontee Bridges between Gardiner and West Gardiner.

ALBION - The Maine Department of Transportation is replacing the Puddle Dock Bridge in Albion. The bridge carries traffic over Fifteenmile Stream on South Freedom Road. The current structure was installed in 1933 and is past its useful life. The new bridge will be 104-feet-long and have 11-foot-wide travel lanes with three-foot-wide shoulders. Work began this month and is anticipated to be completed in November. The road will be closed until all work has been completed. Signs direct drivers to a detour route. The contractor on this project is CPM Constructors of Freeport.

NAPLES - Due to high water levels and trees blocking the Songo River, the Maine Department of Transportation will not be able to open the Songo Lock Draw Bridge in Naples until Saturday, May 11th. MaineDOT typically begins operating the draw bridge on May 1st to allow the passage of marine traffic under State Park Road. The department is communicating with other state agencies as we all work toward the new date when the seasonal bridge operation can begin.

COPLIN PLANTATION - The Maine Department of Transportation will be temporarily closing the Nash Bridge on Route 16 in Coplin Plantation on Saturday, April 27th. This full closure is scheduled to run from 7:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. This closure is required to allow repair work on the bridge approach slabs, which were damaged in the December 18th storm. The vehicle detour involves using Routes 27, 142, and 4. The contractor on this project is Jordan Excavation of Kingfield. The contract amount is $350,000.

BRUNSWICK/TOPSHAM - The Maine Department of Transportation will be performing a bridge inspection of the Frank J. Wood Bridge on Wednesday, April 24th. This bridge carries Route 201 between Brunswick and Topsham. Because of the poor condition of the fracture critical Frank J. Wood Bridge, MaineDOT engineers inspect it every six months instead of the normal every 24-month frequency. Construction of a new bridge is currently underway.

HARPSWELL - The Maine Department of Transportation will be making repairs to the Bailey Island Bridge on Route 24 in Harpswell between Orrs Island and Bailey Island. Most of the work involves resetting granite stones that shifted during coastal storms in January. Other work includes drainage repairs and debris removal. Route 24 will be reduced to a single lane of traffic at times. Drivers may encounter full road closures that last no longer than 15 minutes. The sidewalk on the bridge may be closed to pedestrians at times during construction.

TOPSHAM/WEST GARDINER - The Maine Department of Transportation will be making pavement improvements in various locations on both the northbound and southbound sides of I-295 between mile markers 30 and 51. This work involves repaving the Cobbosseecontee Bridges between Gardiner and West Gardiner. Work is scheduled to begin on Monday, April 15th and be complete in November. This project will begin with day work occurring between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. It may transition to night work in the coming months.

TOPSHAM - The Maine Department of Transportation will be closing the southbound Exit 31A ramp off I-295 next Sunday and Monday nights. The closures are scheduled from 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 14th to 6:00 a.m. on Monday, April 15th and from 10:00 p.m. on Monday, April 15th to 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 16th. The construction being done is a ramp realignment because of a new Market Basket opening nearby. The contractor on this work is Crooker Construction of Topsham. Market Basket is paying for the construction.

AUGUSTA - The Maine Department of Transportation measured traffic volumes on some state highways yesterday that were between 10 and 20 times greater than normal. Traffic engineers monitored travel throughout the weekend and estimate that 15,000 additional vehicles came into Maine to witness the solar eclipse. Many more people traveled within the state to access the eclipse's path of totality. Additional details on traffic counts from the entire eclipse weekend will not be available until after this week.