AUGUSTA - Recharge Maine - the state's initiative to develop a statewide network of public, high-speed EV chargers - today announced planned awards of more than $6 million in National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program funds authorized by the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The planned awards will be used to support development of new chargers at seven sites in locations, such as grocery stores, shopping malls, and gas stations, spanning Bangor, Augusta, and the stretch of U.S. Route 1 between Ellsworth and Freeport.

UPDATE: Route 17 will remain closed to traffic until at least Thursday morning. Crews are still working toward being able to open one lane to traffic.

TOWNSHIP E - Nearly one mile of Route 17 in Township E (between Byron and Rangeley Plantation) in Franklin County is closed because of damage from yesterday's intense rainfall. Maine Department of Transportation crews are on the scene and working to make repairs with the goal of reopening one lane of the road to traffic by the end of the day.

VINALHAVEN - An initial inspection of the Captain Richard G. Spear confirms that the hull was not significantly damaged during yesterday's grounding incident off Vinalhaven. The starboard rudder is bent, and the port rudder is missing. This missing rudder may be retrievable by divers given the location of the grounding. Both propellers are damaged. Pictures of the damage are available upon request.

OLD TOWN - The Maine Department of Transportation will be closing the two Llewellyn Estes Bridges that carry Stillwater Avenue over the Stillwater River in Old Town on Tuesday, August 22nd. This is expected to be a one-day closure that will begin at 6:00 a.m. and end no later than 9:00 p.m. This closure is needed so contracting crews can safely install the crane that will be used to construct a two-lane temporary bridge upstream from the existing bridge this fall.

OXFORD - The Maine Department of Transportation will be reconstructing the intersection of Route 26 and Skeetfield Road in Oxford. This project will create a new entrance to Skeetfield Road and a dedicated right turn lane for traffic heading east. On-site construction activities are scheduled to begin today. During construction, traffic on Skeetfield Road will be restricted to a single lane of alternating traffic between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. Two-way traffic will be maintained on Route 26. The anticipated completion date of this work is October 31st.

BANGOR - Penquis and Kennebec Valley Community Action Program (KVCAP) are receiving $650,462 from the Maine Department of Transportation to improve transportation services across four counties. The funding is provided by the Federal Transit Administration to expand transit options for residents with limited or no transportation options.

ROCKLAND - On Friday afternoon, Maine State Ferry Service crew members aboard the Margaret Chase Smith rescued a kayaker in distress off Islesboro. One of the crew members involved in the rescue will be available to speak with reporters at 1:00 p.m. today at the Rockland Ferry Terminal, which is located at 517A Main Street in Rockland.

SACO - The Maine Department of Transportation will be doing paving work and making other safety and drainage improvements along part of Route 1 in Saco. The project area begins just south of Cascade Road (Route 98) and extends north for approximately one mile to the Scarborough town line. Work is scheduled to begin on September 11th and end on October 20th. This will be day work, happening between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. During this time, traffic will be reduced to a single lane on the northbound side and a single lane on the southbound side.

AUGUSTA - The Maine Department of Transportation is convening an advisory stakeholder group to assist the department in identifying and developing strategies to address highway mobility and transportation needs in northern Maine. This group will review past feasibility studies and recommend highway improvements that will improve safety, mobility, and economic opportunity in Aroostook County.

SOUTH PORTLAND - The South Portland park-and-ride lot on the eastbound side of Samantha Smith Way (Highway 703) will be closed this weekend to accommodate paving and striping work. This is the lot that is off Maine Turnpike Exit 45. The closure will run from midnight on Saturday, September 9th through 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 10th. If there is rain this weekend, the work will be moved to the following weekend. The contractor for this work is Coastal Road Repair of Westbrook. The contract amount is $70,000.