Governor LePage, MaineDOT and Indian Township Announce Partnership On Federal Highway Money

Augusta ?In a ceremony Tuesday at the State House, Governor LePage and MaineDOT Commissioner David Bernhardt were presented with two checks from Chief Joseph Socobasin of the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Indian Township, Maine, totaling $1,900,000

Freeport ? The 2011 Northeast Transportation Safety Conference was held Nov. 8th and 9th at the Hilton Garden Inn in Freeport hosted by the Maine Transportation Safety Coalition. In attendance were transportation safety specialists from the Northeast discussing the 4 ?E?s? of safety- Enforcement, Education, Emergency services and Engineering. MaineDOT Commissioner David Bernhardt delivered welcoming remarks along with Brian Lawrence from the Federal Highway Administration, Colonel Robert Williams, Chief of the Maine State Police and Senator Bill Diamond of Windham.

Westbrook ? With recent approval from the Westbrook City Council, crews will be closing the ?Little Bridge? on East Bridge Street, from Monday, November 14 through Friday, November 18 from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. This temporary night closure will allow work crews to accelerate earthwork and paving so the project can be completed and open to two-way traffic by December 7th. East Bridge Street is adjacent to Route 302.

Ellsworth ? Residents in the town of Ellsworth need to be aware of repair work being done on Main St. Saturday evening, Nov. 12th starting at 6 p.m., through Sunday afternoon, Nov. 13th. The project is the repair of a 36? outlet pipe about 12? under the roadway. Traffic will be directed to either Water Street or State Street during this period. Message boards are currently alerting motorists, and will continue to do so throughout the repairs.

Sargent Inc., who completed the Ellsworth Route 1A project, has been contracted for this work.

Portland ? Motorists need to be aware of the Veterans Memorial Bridge closure Wednesday, Nov. 16th from 7 p.m. to Thursday No. 17th at 6 a.m. Traffic headed northbound on I-295 will be detoured to Exit 5 to the Fore River Parkway accessing the Veterans Intersection where US Route 1 and Valley Street intersect. Traffic from Main Street in South Portland will get on I-295 North and use Exit 5 to access the Fore River Parkway.

For more information on winter driving, please visit maineDOT.gov.

This winter, The Maine Department of Transportation, the Maine State Police and AAA of Northern New England are urging motorists to slow down in winter conditions, give plow trucks plenty of room, and prepare your car for snowy weather before heading out on the roads.

Augusta ? This most recent winter storm has MaineDOT plow crews in action throughout the state. When the first snowflakes fell in the overnight hours, MaineDOT?s snowfighters were called into action, with trucks being dispatched as conditions worsened. Over 475 plow trucks have been working to clear Maine?s roadways. As one of the busiest travel days of the season, MaineDOT Commissioner David Bernhardt took to the roads to observe. ?Safety is our first concern, both for the commuter and for our crews,? said Commissioner Bernhardt.

Augusta ? Senior engineers from the Maine Department of Transportation will be hosting officials from Japan?s Tokyo Rope Manufacturing on Wednesday Dec. 7th and Thursday Dec. 8th to discuss the latest innovations in wire, wire rope, steel cord, fiber rope and carbon fiber composite strands. The delegation and MaineDOT Chief Engineer Ken Sweeney will be traveling to the University of Maine?s Advanced Structures and Composite Center (AEWC) in Orono to collaborate and share ideas surrounding carbon fiber composite strands and its proven benefit to industry.

Fairfield/Benton- The northbound on-ramp at Exit 133 will be closed for two and a half years beginning December 8th. Commuters who would use Exit 133 will be detoured to Exit 132 via Routes 201 and 139. Wide loads will be restricted from Exit 132 and Exit 138 both northbound and southbound.

Brunswick/Topsham- Emergency repairs are currently under way on the Frank J. Wood Bridge that connects Brunswick and Topsham. MaineDOT crews are on the scene repairing a failed joint on the Brunswick abutment. Traffic flow is as follows:

-Topsham to Brunswick CAN cross the bridge;

-Brunswick to Topsham is closed;

-Brunswick to Topsham traffic is being detoured on Route 1 and Route 196.

Message boards are guiding motorists through the area.

Repairs on the bridge are expected to be completed no later than Saturday morning.