PORTLAND, Maine — Anyone traveling through Portland regularly has likely encountered traffic cones, orange barrels, or detours while making their way through the city.
With multiple significant projects underway, construction season in Maine's largest city has officially begun.
"Plan for delays. Plan for traffic," Maine Department of Transportation spokesperson Paul Merrill said.
This weekend, the MDOT will be working around the clock on a bridge replacement project, closing portions of I-295 in Portland and Falmouth.
"We hope that traffic volumes will be low, but we are also hoping that they will be lower by people who avoid the area. This will create a lot of traffic on the turnpike and other roads," Merrill said.
Crews will be working to replace the Veranda Street bridge, which Merrill said carries roughly 50,000 cars each day.
According to MDOT, I-295 will be closed from 7 p.m. Friday until 11 a.m. Monday as part of the bridge replacement. Crews will rapidly demolish the old bridge before moving the new bridge decks into place.
MDOT added Veranda Street/Route 1, which runs under the bridge, has been closed since 2 p.m. Monday, April 18, and will remain closed until 2 p.m. Monday, April 25, for the project duration.
There are a number of detours that will be in place. Anyone planning to travel through Portland or Falmouth on I-295 this weekend can plan a detour by visiting VerandaPlan.org.
The project is expected to cost roughly $21 million and be completed by the end of the year.
Merrill said the project would also help reconfigure the roadways underneath the bridge to improve safety and mobility.
The project includes adding bicycle lanes, a sidewalk, and a multiuse path that extends to Martin’s Point Bridge, which Merrill said will help convert 1.5 acres of roadway and median into green space.
Another traffic project in Portland adding to the city's traffic congestion is an overhaul of Congress Square at the intersection of Congress Street and High Street.
According to city staff, crews are currently moving in materials for the project, which has closed one lane of High Street. Teams will soon work to remove small traffic islands in the intersections.
The first phase of the project is scheduled to be completed by June 30, 2023, and will fully replace the sidewalks in the intersection, add new traffic signals and lighting, among other things.
Construction is expected to pause in November and will resume with phase B, which will be announced later this year.
In the meantime, watch for traffic cones and workers and drive safe.