After decades of requests from the Town of Wiscasset for a U.S. Route 1 Bypass of Wiscasset Village, and after many years of transportation and environmental studies spearheaded by the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) issued its determination of the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative (LEDPA) on May 24. While this is a crucial step in the approval process for a bypass, MaineDOT officials say that we are a long way from actual construction.

Motorists who utilize Route 26/100 in Falmouth should expect delays on Thursday, June 10 as MaineDOT crews must close one lane of traffic in order to inspect the Railroad Crossing Bridge that spans the Presumpscot River and the Pan Am railroad line.

Starting at 8 a.m., motorists will be limited to one lane of alternating traffic, as MaineDOT engineers use an underbridge crane to conduct a structural inspection of the bridge. MaineDOT expects to re-open the bridge to two-way traffic later that same day.

Motorists who utilize the I-95 southbound ramps at exit 217 in Howland and exit 227 in Lincoln need to be aware of upcoming closures next week in order for the ramps to be paved.

Exit 217 on I-95 southbound in Howland will be closed for pavement removal from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 8. The ramp will be closed again from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 10, for paving.

A section of Route 35 in the town of Standish was temporarily closed today as a result of the partial undermining of the roadway associated with a bridge replacement project.

The Sebago Lake Crossing Bridge, which carries Route 35 over the Mountain Division Rail Line, is undergoing a replacement project conducted by the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT). The new bridge is being constructed just a few feet away from the existing bridge. The prime contractor on the project is Technical Construction, Inc. of Turner, Maine.

Five individuals and organizations returned home ?Transportation Safety Champions? this past Thursday, June 4. The Maine Transportation Safety Coalition (MTCS), a group that advocates for transportation safety in Maine, presented these awards at its annual meeting in Portland.

Motorists who utilize I-95 from Augusta to Houlton should be aware that MaineDOT maintenance crews will be striping both the northbound and southbound portions of the highway starting Monday, June 14 and continuing through the week.

MaineDOT announced today that work will begin this week on the southbound lanes of I-295 through the greater Portland area. Overnight paving and bridgework are planned from just north of the Maine Turnpike spur in Falmouth through Portland to the tollbooths where I-295 terminates in Scarborough. To minimize impacts on traffic, all paving has been scheduled to occur overnight between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. with single lane closures.

Due to a nationwide shortage of highway-striping paints, the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) is proactively shifting this season?s schedules for its road-striping crews. The schedule adjustments will result in reprioritizing striping activities from an ?area-based? approach to painting Maine?s Interstate highways first, and unlike most years, performing Interstate work during the day. In addition, even if the shortage eases in the coming months, some striping that is usually performed yearly or bi-annually may not be able to be done during the 2010 season.

Motorists who utilize Route 43 west of the Town Farm Road in Farmington need to be aware of an upcoming road closure on Route 43.

Starting Wednesday, June 23 and continuing until July 2, a section of Route 43 between the Morrison Hill Road and Marvel Street in Farmington will be closed so MaineDOT crews can strengthen an unstable slope area that is causing a portion of that road to sag. Crews will first stabilize the slope, then rebuild the sagging road portion, and repave the repaired section.

The Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) will begin its annual vegetation control program along state controlled railway systems starting Monday, June 21, and continuing through Thursday, June 24 on rail lines through out the state.