Route 1 repairs in Sullivan near completion

SULLIVAN – For the better part of two years, motorists traveling on Route 1 east from Ellsworth have been forced to stop for at least one delay caused by the road work.

Extensive road repairs on a 3.5-mile stretch from the bridge over Taunton Bay to Sumner Memorial High School in Sullivan have plagued the connector community since April 2005.

Crews have rebuilt the road in small sections to reduce lane closures, particularly in the summer months when traffic is heavy, but delays have been frequent.

Finally, the $5.9 million Maine Department of Transportation project is coming to a close.

In fact, employees from Lane Construction were putting the finishing touches on the road work this week, according to project engineer Dale Mayo.

“Right now we’re just cleaning up around some driveways and we’ll paint the lines today or tomorrow,” Mayo said Wednesday.

The repairs have included installing new pavement, adding guardrails and widening the road to include shoulders on both sides, something that stretch of road has never had.

Construction began in spring 2006 but had to be suspended last fall. It started again this spring and continued through its second summer.

Because that stretch of Route 1 connects the rest of Maine to the Schoodic Peninsula and other Down East attractions, DOT officials tried to limit extended lane closures.

“It was quite a battle with traffic,” Mayo admitted.

DOT did offer an alternate route on Route 182, which branches off Route 1 in Hancock and winds around Taunton Bay before connecting back to Route 1 via Route 200. However, that detour added at least 10 miles to the trip.

“I think most ended up sitting in traffic,” Mayo said. “Besides, this year they started work on [Route] 182, so that road wasn’t much better.”

Most of the stretch is residential, but a handful of businesses and the high school were affected.