BANGOR (NEWS CENTER Maine) – Traffic delays and less than perfect road conditions in downtown Bangor may be staying longer than expected. The project is part of a utility upgrade on Friend, State, Exchange, and Harlow Streets to replace Civil War era water and sewer pipes below the streets, as well as repaving the streets and the sidewalks.
The project was expected to be completed in mid-October, but according to the Bangor City Engineer John Theriault, that was pushed back to the end of November due to harsh weather. Now, the project and contracting company Eastwood Contractors, hopes they are able to lay a first layer over the road, known as the shim, which helps level the road. But even getting that layer ready may be in jeopardy with dropping temperatures.
“We only really need one day of paving to get this wrapped up for the season, but if we can’t get that one day next week it’s probably likely that we won’t get the shim down,” said Theriault. “And then all that does it makes it a little more difficult to maintain the roads during the winter time. There will be more potholes that we’d need to address.”
If the bottom layer of the downtown Bangor roads aren’t able to be shimmed next week, Eastwood Contractors would be responsible for repairing any damage to roads after winter storms, according to John Theriault.
The budget for this upgrade it $2.6 million, and Theriault does not expect that to change if the roads is not able to be shimmed.
If the road is shimmed, the city and Eastwood Contractors will be not be working on this downtown project throughout the winter. Once the weather is warm enough, the crews will be back out on the streets adding the upper layers of pavement and finalizing the project.