Comprehensive road work planned for Bangor area

BANGOR – The Maine Department of Transportation is taking steps to ensure that the more than $14 million on road and bridge improvements in the Bangor area doesn’t prove too disruptive to motorists or residents.

More than $14 million in construction work is scheduled to begin next Tuesday, right after the Labor Day weekend, and wrap up by June 30 of next year, state DOT Commissioner David Cole said Tuesday during a news conference at the department’s regional headquarters on Hogan Road.

The work is aimed at improving safety, preserving aging infrastructure and supporting economic growth in Greater Bangor, Cole said.

The work area encompasses Interstate 95 from the Alton-Old Town line to Veterans Remembrance Bridge in Brewer and Bangor, and Interstate 395 from the industrial spur bridge to the Bangor-Brewer exit. Also planned is the replacement of the Essex Street bridge over I-95 and the repair and repaving of several overpasses and bridges, including the Joshua Chamberlain Bridge next spring, according to Jamie Andrews, the department’s local lead project engineer.

To get the work done quickly and with minimal disruption, the state Transportation Department has decided to group the projects together and complete them over a period of 10 months rather than over several years, Cole said.

“We’re going to go 24-7 while we can,” Cole said.

The state DOT also scheduled the work to avoid conflicts with large traffic generators, including area Fourth of July festivities, the summer tourist season, the American Folk Festival, and the start of the annual holiday shopping season in late November.

Lane Construction has been awarded an $8.6 million contract that includes incentives for getting the work done on time and penalties for not meeting the schedule. Contracts for subsequent work have not yet been announced.

“I want to say in advance [that] we apologize because there will be inconvenience, but it’s necessary,” Cole said.

“We are doing all we can to notify the public and to provide incentives to get the job done. But it’s really up to motorists to take advantage of this advance notice, to stay informed and to drive safely,” he said. “This can only succeed if the public cooperates.”

Cole asked motorists to cooperate by keeping abreast of specific projects, seeking alternate routes where possible and avoiding peak travel times, namely 7-9 a.m. and 3-6 p.m. Motorists also might want to allow some extra travel time if they will be driving through the affected areas, he said.

As Bangor City Engineer Jim Ring sees it, the key to success will be driver patience and respect for workers and residents.

He asked motorists to drive at lower speeds and pay close attention to what’s going on around them, especially while driving through residential neighborhoods. He asked neighborhood residents to be patient.

“We worked a lot on trying to reduce the need for lane closures, ramp closures. … We know this will be inconvenient, but once completed, these improvements should last for many years,” Ring said.

MDOT officials said that initial work will include:

. Northbound interstate from the Cold Brook Road offramp to the Hogan Road offramp, beginning Sept. 4. Work will include removing and replacing pavement on travel lanes, the repair of concrete bridge decks and joints and the paving of bridge decks.

. Southbound interstate from the Alton-Old Town line south to the I-95 bridge over I-395, beginning Sept. 6. Work will include removing and replacing pavement, the repair of concrete bridge decks and joints and the paving of bridge decks.

The southbound travel lane from Alton-Old Town to the Hogan Road exit will see pavement and guardrail improvements. The same improvements are planned for the southbound travel and passing lanes from Hogan Road south to the I-395 overpass.

. Essex Street bridge replacement. This work is slated to start in mid-October and wrap up by June 1 of next year.

Additional improvements are planned for later in the work period.

For up-to-date information on specific projects and alternate routes, sign up for e-mail alerts at MaineDOT.gov.