An $18 million highway reconstruction project, under way along a seven‐mile stretch of Route 1A in Ellsworth, will make the road safer and move traffic more efficiently along the busy corridor.

The project, which will upgrade the road to current National Highway System Standards, includes the removal of existing pavement, grading and then repaving the roadway with 12‐foot travel lanes and eight‐foot shouldersdesigned to last 20 years. Crews are expected to complete the project by the summer of 2011.

Starting Sunday night, May 23 at 7:00 p.m. segments of Route 1 southbound between Cook?s Corner and Mill Street in Brunswick will be closed so construction crews can start removing pavement in preparation of paving this stretch of Route 1 southbound.

Crews will be working nights from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday in order to minimize disruptions to traffic. One lane of traffic will always remain open during the work hours.

The Maine Department of Transportation was recently honored by the Wellness Councils of America with a Gold Level Well Workplace Award. MaineDOT is one of only seven gold level award winners from across the country, and one of three from Maine.

?MaineDOT has long recognized the importance of health and wellness in the workplace,? said MaineDOT Commissioner David Cole, ?Promoting health in the workplace makes MaineDOT more productive and enhances the well-being of our staff.?

Work has begun on repaving of sections of Route 89 from Limestone to Caribou and Route 1A from Limestone to Caswell.

Crews will be removing portions of the old pavement, improving drainage and laying a new pavement surface. Crews will be working on a section of Route 89 that stretches from .15 miles east of the Route 1 intersection and extends easterly 9.61 miles to the intersection of Route 1A and 89. Crews will also be working on a 3.8 mile section of Route 1A that stretches from Pond View Street to 1/10 of a mile south of the Willard Road/Cross Road intersection in Caswell.

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.