AUGUSTA - As the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) indicated last week, it is revising its Construction Advertising Schedule. This is part of MaineDOT's efforts to reconcile surging construction costs with available funding.

Last week, we announced that we were making a course correction. We rejected bids on three projects because the bids had greatly exceeded our anticipated costs. Since then, we have seen bids come in significantly higher: on average, about 30 percent higher than last year. Estimates had already been increased by 10 percent in January 2019.

HALLOWELL - The Maine Department of Transportation will be paving Water Street in Hallowell next week. This will be one of the final steps in MaineDOT's downtown revitalization project.

The work will begin on Monday, May 20th and last four days. Crews will begin work at daybreak and plan to finish by 3:00 p.m. As with all outdoor work, this paving is dependent on the weather.

GORHAM - The Maine Department of Transportation is planning to do paving and sidewalk-improvement work on Route 237 (Mosher Road) in Gorham. The project begins one-third of a mile north of Queen Street and extends north to the Route 202 intersection. Drivers should anticipate one-way alternating traffic during daytime construction activities. Glidden Excavating & Paving, Inc. of Gorham is the contractor on this project, which is scheduled to begin on May 20th and be finished by June 21st.

PENOBSCOT AND AROOSTOOK COUNTIES - The Maine Department of Transportation is conducting paving work on the northbound side of I-95 in Penobscot and Aroostook Counties. The work area begins in Herseytown Township and extends nearly 49 miles east to Houlton and the Canadian border. During work hours, traffic will be reduced to one lane and the speed limit will be reduced to 55 mph. Ramp closures for milling and paving work will happen overnight. All States Asphalt, Inc. of Sunderland, Massachusetts is the contractor on this work, which is expected to continue through October 2nd.

SOMERSET COUNTY - The Maine Department of Transportation is doing paving work on Route 2 in the Somerset County towns of Canaan and Pittsfield. The project begins at the intersection of Routes 2 and 23 in Canaan and extends east for more than six miles. It ends just west of Phillips Corner Road in Pittsfield. Crews will alternate one-way traffic during this work. Pike Industries of Fairfield is the contractor on this project, which is scheduled to be finished by June 30th.

SOMERSET COUNTY - The Maine Department of Transportation will be conducting paving work on Routes 201 and 2 in the Somerset County towns of Fairfield, Skowhegan, and Norridgewock. The work area begins in Fairfield a little bit more than one mile north of Western Avenue and extends north/northwest on Route 201 for nearly 14 miles to the intersection of Route 104 in Skowhegan. The project area then extends west on Route 2 into Norridgewock for approximately five miles. Drivers should expect occasional one-lane alternative traffic patterns. Some work will be done at night.

KENNEBEC COUNTY - The Maine Department of Transportation is doing pavement preservation work on a 13-mile stretch of Route 3 in Kennebec County. The project area begins just east of Church Hill Road in Augusta and extends northeast through Vassalboro and into China. Some night work is being allowed on this project. All States Asphalt of Richmond is doing the work, which is scheduled to be finished by July 15th.

BAR HARBOR - MaineDOT is announcing today that the reconstruction of Route 3 north of Bar Harbor will pause for the Memorial Day weekend. Contractors will suspend road work at the end of the day on Thursday, May 23rd. Work will resume on Tuesday morning, May 28th. A one-way detour loop will remain in effect throughout the holiday weekend with traffic inbound to Bar Harbor on Route 3 and outbound detoured to Park Loop Road.

PROSPECT - The Penobscot Narrows Bridge Observatory will open for the season tomorrow. The Maine Department of Transportation had delayed the opening late last month after a valve failed during an inspection of the observatory's fire suppression system. We had to special-order a replacement valve. MaineDOTs top priority at the observatory is the safety of our workers and guests. We're glad we can open the site before Memorial Day weekend, and we thank our guests for their patience.

DYER BROOK - The Maine Department of Transportation will be performing road reconstruction work on a section of Route 2 in Dyer Brook. The work area begins a little bit more than two miles north of Pond Road and extends approximately a mile and a half north to Keith Brook Road. Crews may institute an alternating one-way traffic pattern during their work. This project is scheduled to begin on May 28th and end on November 1st. McGillan Construction of Fort Fairfield is the contractor on this job.