Augusta ? Senior engineers from the Maine Department of Transportation will be hosting officials from Japan?s Tokyo Rope Manufacturing on Wednesday Dec. 7th and Thursday Dec. 8th to discuss the latest innovations in wire, wire rope, steel cord, fiber rope and carbon fiber composite strands. The delegation and MaineDOT Chief Engineer Ken Sweeney will be traveling to the University of Maine?s Advanced Structures and Composite Center (AEWC) in Orono to collaborate and share ideas surrounding carbon fiber composite strands and its proven benefit to industry.

Fairfield/Benton- The northbound on-ramp at Exit 133 will be closed for two and a half years beginning December 8th. Commuters who would use Exit 133 will be detoured to Exit 132 via Routes 201 and 139. Wide loads will be restricted from Exit 132 and Exit 138 both northbound and southbound.

Brunswick/Topsham- Emergency repairs are currently under way on the Frank J. Wood Bridge that connects Brunswick and Topsham. MaineDOT crews are on the scene repairing a failed joint on the Brunswick abutment. Traffic flow is as follows:

-Topsham to Brunswick CAN cross the bridge;

-Brunswick to Topsham is closed;

-Brunswick to Topsham traffic is being detoured on Route 1 and Route 196.

Message boards are guiding motorists through the area.

Repairs on the bridge are expected to be completed no later than Saturday morning.

Dresden ? Federal officials have announced the awarding of $10.8 million in TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant money for replacement of the Richmond-Dresden Bridge, formally known to the MaineDOT as the Maine Kennebec Bridge, which carries Route 197 over the Kennebec River. Maine Department of Transportation Commissioner David Bernhardt says with the state commitment, the project is estimated to cost about $25 million. ?This is an important project that has been a very high priority,?

Falmouth - The Falmouth Railroad Bridge, located on Route 26/100, which spans the Presumscot River and the Pan Am Railroad line will reopen to traffic this afternoon.

This new bridge is located slightly downstream from the original structure, which was built in 1932.

Construction on the new Falmouth Railroad Bridge started in July of this year. Crews will continue dismantling the old bridge through the winter months and will complete incidental work by the summer of 2012.

CPM Constructors of Freeport was awarded the bridge replacement contract for $10.5 million.

South Portland ? On Wednesday, January 4th from 1a.m. to 3 a.m. the Casco Bay Bridge (Route 77) will be closed to all traffic heading from South Portland into Portland. Due to an accident on Monday, Dec. 26th, crews will be replacing a warning gate that is utilized to stop traffic prior to crossing the bridge. Local police will detour travelers into Portland via the Fore River Bridge or the Veterans Memorial Bridge during this period.

Westbrook ? Motorists traveling in the vicinity of the Cumberland Street bridges spanning the Presumscot River in Westbrook need to be aware of traffic delays effective immediately. Crews have initiated a tree removal operation that will continue through Saturday evening, Jan. 7th. Alternating one way traffic will cause delays, therefore motorists are advised to allow extra time or seek an alternate route. This tree removal work is being done in advance of building a temporary bridge that will be used during the replacement of the Westbrook Cumberland bridges.

South Portland ? Crews will be removing the Route 1 overpass in the vicinity of Lincoln Street in South Portland starting on January 10th at 8:30 a.m. through 6 a.m. on January 12th. Traffic will be detoured from Route 1 (Main Street) utilizing Lincoln Street and Main Street. The detour will be in effect for 45.5 continuous hours with local police and flaggers helping to guide traffic through the detour.

News Release for January 24, 2012

For More Information, Please Contact:Ted Talbot, MaineDOT Public Information Officer - 624-3030

Community Buses Roll Into Maine

Augusta ? The Maine Department of Transportation welcomes a fleet of buses rolling into the state today for use by Maine community transit providers. A total of 14 Orion buses are being transferred by the Westchester (New York) County Public Works and Transportation Department to be received by the following communities:

Motorists traveling in Argyle need to be aware of the closure ofRoute 116 which will take place February 6th through the 9th.No thru traffic will be allowed for approximately 7.5 miles north of the intersection of Routes 16 and 116, due to the replacement of a cross pipe that has failed. The closure signs will guide travelers to alternate routes including Interstate 95, Route 16 and Route 2, all of which will be fully accessible to all traffic.