AUGUSTA - MaineDOT Commissioner Bruce Van Note issued the following statement in response to Governor Mills's State of the State Address:

AUGUSTA - MaineDOT Commissioner Bruce Van Note issued the following statement in response to Governor Mills's supplemental budget proposal:

10:20 a.m.

PROSPECT - The Penobscot Narrows Bridge is reopened to vehicle traffic. It was closed for a total of 40 minutes. During that time, the ice we were concerned about fell off the bridge cables.

10:00 a.m.

BANGOR - The Maine Department of Transportation is replacing the Ohio Street Bridge, which carries Ohio Street over I-95 in Bangor. Demolition begins this month and will continue through April. The new bridge will be open by September 2020. During demolition and construction, local traffic, including pedestrians, will be detoured. After the new bridge opens, there will be alternating one-way traffic with flaggers until the project is completed this fall.

KITTERY - The "Maine Ahead" project will begin a new phase of safety improvement work on the Piscataqua River Bridge, which carries I-95 between Kittery, Maine and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Crews will be replacing bridge joints that date back to the original construction of the bridge a half-century ago.

HAMPDEN - The Maine Department of Transportation will be replacing eight bridges and rehabilitating a ninth bridge on a four-mile-long stretch of I-95 in Hampden. These bridges are almost 60 years old and are approaching the end of their useful lives. This project will affect traffic on both the northbound and southbound sides of the interstate between mile markers 176 and 180. Several of the bridges carry I-95 over Souadabscook Stream. One carries the interstate over Emerson Mills Road. Another carries Cold Brook Road over the interstate.

WISCASSET - The Maine Department of Transportation will be conducting more traffic signal work in downtown Wiscasset on February 26th and 28th. The purpose of this work is to test the functionality of the new signals. This work will be happening at two signalized intersections: Main Street (Route 1) Middle Street as well as Main Street (Route 1) and Water Street. Signal testing will be happening from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day. We ask that drivers remain alert as they're passing through this area.

KITTERY - The Maine Department of Transportation will be conducting a routine safety inspection on the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge on Tuesday, February 25th. We are required to do these inspections every two years. This work will impact traffic between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Drivers will encounter lane restrictions, and we will likely have to open the bridge several times during the inspection process. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding while we conduct this important work.

MADAWASKA - The Maine Department of Transportation will be holding an informational public open house on Thursday, March 12th regarding the Madawaksa-Edmundston International Bridge replacement project. The open house will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EST in the Madawaksa Middle/High School cafeteria at 135 Seventh Ave. in Madawaska. In the event of inclement weather, the open house will be pushed to the following Thursday, March 19th.

MaineDOT Commissioner Bruce Van Note released the following statement today:

At MaineDOT, our top priority is always safety. Not only does that mean the safety of our workers, but it also means the safety of our production partners and the traveling public. The current challenge does not change that. Road crews still need to plow snow, help first responders during traffic incidents, cut brush, and fill potholes as the weather warms. Capital projects still need to be designed, put out to bid, and constructed.