Following yesterday's tragic plane crash in Arundel that took the lives of Eldon Morrison and Paul Koziell of CPM Constructors, the Maine Department of Transportation and the Maine Turnpike Authority issued the following statements.

Statement by Bruce Van Note, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Transportation:

BRUNSWICK/TOPSHAM - The Maine Department of Transportation will be performing a bridge inspection of the Frank J. Wood Bridge between Tuesday, October 25th and Thursday, October 27th. This bridge carries Route 201 between Brunswick and Topsham. Because of the poor condition of the fracture critical Frank J. Wood Bridge, MaineDOT engineers inspect it every six months instead of the normal every 24 month frequency. The structure is scheduled to be replaced.

PORTLAND - Next week, the Maine Department of Transportation and its contracting partners will be doing paving work on Veranda Street, Wordsworth Street, Olympia Street, and Oregon Street in Portland. This is one of the final phases of MaineDOT's Veranda Plan project. This project involved the rapid replacement of the interstate bridge that carries I-295 over Veranda Street in Portland as well as the reconfiguration of the roadways underneath the bridge.

DURHAM - The Maine Department of Transportation will be implementing an emergency road closure and detour at 7:00 p.m. due to the failure of a culvert on Route 9 in Durham.

The closure area is between Royalsborough Road (Route 136) and Pinkham Brook Road (Route 125), just east of the intersection with Route 136.

Detoured traffic should use Route 136 and Route 125 in Durham and Freeport. The total detour length for through traffic is approximately 17 miles. MaineDOT is installing message boards to notify drivers of the closure and detours.

AUGUSTA - In partnership with the other northern New England states, the Maine Department of Transportation launched an updated New England 511 website today. This new site includes improved features to help drivers navigate daily commutes or weekend trips through Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

DURHAM - Route 9 is expected to be closed between Royalsborough Road (Route 136) and Pinkham Brook Road (Route 125) in Durham for as long as two weeks while the Maine Department of Transportation replaces a culvert that failed at Dyer Brook.

Detoured traffic should use Route 136 and Route 125 in Durham and Freeport. The total detour length for through traffic using state roads is approximately 17 miles, though there are shorter detours that use local roads. MaineDOT has installed message boards to notify drivers of the closure and detour.

CLINTON - The Maine Department of Transportation is replacing two culverts on River Road in Clinton. The project area is approximately 0.3 miles north of Tardiff Road. Work started earlier this week and is expected to be finish the end of this week. There is a detour in place. This work is being performed by crews from MaineDOT's Bureau of Maintenance & Operations.

YARMOUTH - Night construction work will be impacting traffic on Route 1 in Yarmouth during the second week of November as part of the ongoing project to replace the two bridges that carry I-295 over Route 1 near Exit 17. Crews will be placing the steel bridge beams onto the recently constructed substructure west of the existing interstate.

T3 INDIAN PURCHASE - The Maine Department of Transportation is closing the Detective Campbell Detour Bridge in T3 Indian Purchase to perform maintenance on the structure. The bridge carries Route 11 over the West Branch of the Penobscot River. It is located at Wiley's crossing suspension bridge. This work will require two, separate closures during the day on Thursday, November 3, each lasting approximately 30 minutes in length. The work will be completed and will be reopened to traffic the same day.

AUGUSTA - The Maine Department of Transportation today announced it has awarded a $387,200 grant from the Workforce Transportation Pilot Program to Sunday River of Newry. The grant program, an initiative of Governor Mills' Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan, supports local and regional pilot projects that connect workers to employers through ridesharing, vanpools, and other transit options.