x
Breaking News
More () »

Exit 45 on Maine Turnpike in South Portland to close to traffic this weekend

The three-day closure will "allow contractors to demolish and remove the old barrier toll booths located just east of the new interchange," the MTA said Wednesday.

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — Exit 45 on Interstate 95 in South Portland will be closed this weekend to allow for old toll booths to be removed. The exit is commonly used to get to the Maine Mall. 

According to a news release from the Maine Turnpike Authority (MTA) on Wednesday, all on-ramps and off-ramps at Exit 45 will close to traffic at 9 a.m. on Friday and reopen by 6 a.m. on Monday.

The release said the three-day closure is to "allow contractors to demolish and remove the old barrier toll booths located just east of the new interchange."

Those traveling this weekend are advised in the release to use nearby interchanges and plan ahead for the closure.

Exit 45 was previously closed to traffic on the weekend of Sept. 30 through Oct. 3 for a project aimed at revamping the 67-year-old exit.

The MTA called the new interchange configuration project a "major milestone in the modernization of the highway" in a previous release.

Below is a model of Exit 45 redesigned looking southbound from the MTA website:

Credit: Courtesy of the Maine Turnpike Authority

"Once the old barrier toll booths are removed, the next step will be to demolish the old bridge that carried traffic over the mainline," the MTA said in Wednesday's release. "That work will not require closure of the plaza but will involve nighttime stoppages on the mainline and is likely to happen mid-November."

For more information about the new Diamond Interchange configuration at Exit 45 on I-95, click here.

For the latest breaking news, weather, and traffic alerts, download the NEWS CENTER Maine mobile app.

Before You Leave, Check This Out