Houlton street repair on track after 5 months

HOULTON – Approximately five months into the two-year project, construction crews are on time and on budget with the reconstruction of a section of Route 2A known as Bangor Street.

Crews began repairing the road in the spring after the project was delayed for about eight years. The project is expected to continue for another year. At the same time, the Maine Department of Transportation also is patching a nearby segment of Military Street.

Town Manager Douglas Hazlett said Tuesday that the project was “right where it should be.”

At this point, approximately two-thirds of the road has been covered with the first layer of pavement, and the underdrain replacement project has been completed.

In the coming days, excavation and placement of gravel on Military Street will begin and should last for four days.

Such progress is welcome news for area motorists.

When crews arrived to repair Bangor Street, it was so riddled with potholes and ruts that avoiding as many of them as possible was vital to reducing stress on vehicle shocks, struts and tires.

The state-owned route was supposed to be reconstructed in 2001, but a lack of finances at the state level curtailed the project until this year.

Until crews began repairing the road, Bangor Street was prone to flooding in heavy rain during the spring and was the site of numerous motor vehicle accidents. Although the town’s Public Works Department did its best to patch and repair the route over the years, they could not keep ahead of its deterioration.

Hazlett asked for the public’s continued patience with the reconstruction project.

“Some people may believe we are behind, but it was scheduled to be a two-year project,” he said Tuesday.

jlbdn@ainop.com

532-9257