Maine’s continued rise in popularity as a destination for families, foodies, and outdoor enthusiasts has led to a rise in back-ups and traffic jams at the state’s southern gateway, a development that doesn’t benefit anyone. Maine Ahead will modernize two of Maine’s iconic entry points, the Piscataqua River Bridge, and the York Toll Plaza, alleviating the problem and providing a more welcoming entry to the state WITHOUT increasing toll prices. When Maine Ahead is finished, both commuters and visitors will breathe a sigh of relief when they crest the bridge and see Maine’s state line sign welcoming them home.
Contractor Schedule:
Reed & Reed continues to make progress and complete punch list items. Concrete and paving work is complete at this time. Some final striping remains. The new ground mount signs are anticipated to be installed by mid-August. The large overhead signs are scheduled to be installed the week prior to the new toll plaza opening (early September). A final walkthrough of the toll building is scheduled for July 27th.
Contractor: Reed & Reed, Inc.
Contractor Schedule:
Reed & Reed finished up their remaining concrete placements recently for the toll plaza. Their crews are working on wiring and concrete finishes within the cash lanes and the tunnel. The roofing sub-contractor has completed the southbound canopy and has swapped over to the northbound canopy. Electricians, HVAC professionals, and tolling operators continue to work on the booths and tunnel; making connections and finishing various component installations. The paving contractor has been paving steadily as weather allows. They hope to start paving surface within the ORT lanes the week of May 31. The earthwork crews continue to finish grade slopes and install loam around the project as the project progresses.
The “Maine Ahead” project on the Piscatacqua River (I-95) Bridge in Kittery is entering its third and final year on time and on budget. This project is improving safety and mobility on Maine’s most important bridge and will preserve the structure for another 50 years of use. This work is also preparing the bridge for an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) project, which will allow part-time shoulder use during peak travel times.
Work on the new bridge joints is finished, the bridge deck is 79 percent complete, the barriers are 49 percent complete, and the paving work is 43 percent complete. To date, crews have placed 3,400 cubic yards of concrete and used 417,000 pounds of steel. This project started in May 2019 and is expected to be finished by May 2022.
During the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, all six travel lanes (three on each side) will be open to traffic from Thursday, May 27th at 6:00 p.m. through Tuesday, June 1st at 5:30 a.m.
Traffic volumes are still between 10 and 20 percent below what they were before the pandemic, but they are slowly returning to normal. As Maine enters its peak tourist season, the Maine Department of Transportation is urging drivers to obey posted speed limits and stay alert behind the wheel.
Contractor: Reed & Reed, Inc.
Project Schedule: Completion date June 21, 2021.
Contractor Schedule:
Reed & Reed crews continue to make progress working on the remaining concrete portions of the north and southbound toll plazas. Their mechanical subcontractors are working on the heating, cooling, and plumbing systems. TransCore, the tolling consultant has been on site working with Reed & Reed electricians to get communication wiring and other tolling equipment integrated into the new facility. Grondin has been grading the median shoulders adjacent to the median concrete barrier in preparation for spring paving. If the weather continues to improve, crews should be paving onsite before the end of April. Along the outsides of the highway, guardrail crews are working on new guardrail and right of way fences. Given some of the limitations from the pandemic, additional time may be needed for final completion.
Contractor: Reed & Reed, Inc.
Bid Amount: $ 39,484,431
Project Schedule: Completion date June 21, 2021.
Contractor Schedule: Reed & Reed crews continue to work on median concrete barrier, toll booths, highway lighting, and tunnel electrical work. Many highway sign foundations have been installed and will continue to be installed as weather allows. Mechanical contractors are up fitting the booths with heat and air conditioning. They are also running service lines to these systems as well from the controls inside the tunnel. TransCore has been installing pieces of the tolling system along side Reed & Reed electricians as they make progress towards integrating and completing the electrical and tolling systems. Over the next few weeks, they will continue to place concrete and sign foundations.
