Lucerne golf course digging tunnel under Route 1A

DEDHAM – Construction is under way on a tunnel that will enable golfers playing at Lucerne-in-Maine Golf Club to cross under U.S. 1A, the busy highway that divides the nine-hole course.

When the tunnel is completed, golf carts will be able to cross under the road without having to wait for a break in the traffic, club pro Paul Dailey said. The tunnel will be big enough for two carts headed in opposite directions to cross at the same time.

The course, built in 1926, is located near the Lucerne Inn. It has four holes on one side of the road and five on the other.

For decades, golfers had little problem crossing the highway. But after the state widened the road to accommodate the growing summer traffic between Bangor and Bar Harbor, golfers on foot or in carts often had to bide their time until a gap in the flow of vehicles in the 55 mph zone allowed them to scamper across.

The course owner, David Gubler, of Las Vegas, Nev., decided to build the tunnel, at a cost of roughly $250,000, Dailey said. He said he was unaware of any accidents, or even close calls, involving golfers and vehicles on U.S. 1A.

“We didn’t have to build it. We built it because it was the right thing to do,” Dailey said.

The state Department of Transportation ruled out the possibility of a traffic light as a way to stop traffic to accommodate golfers, he said.

“They insisted on a free flow of traffic, and a light was not an option.”

The contractor for the tunnel, Wardwell Construction of Bucksport, expects to complete the project by May 24.