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.
Now that the work on the Piscataqua River Bridge and York Toll Plaza is completed, the “Maine Ahead” project is in its final phase. This phase involves preparing the bridge and approaches for part-time shoulder use (PTSU). This will help relieve traffic congestion during peak travel times.
Testing of this new PTSU system began in September and will continue into the fall. This testing will involve intermittent nighttime shoulder closures on both the northbound and southbound sides of the highway, including on the bridge. Motorists will see the system’s messaging components (beacons and lane use signals) turn on and off at various times during the testing. Message boards will be utilized to alert travelers that tests are being performed. The shoulder lanes will remain closed to through traffic and should only be used for emergencies.
Check back here for updates regarding the date when the PTSU system will become operational for motorists.
More information about the new PTSU system can be found on this informational flyer.
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New Open Road Toll Plaza Opening on September 15th – Drivers need to be aware of traffic pattern shifts as the old plaza is removed
Drivers traveling to and through the new southernmost toll plaza on the Maine Turnpike need to be aware of a series of traffic lane pattern changes that will occur once the new toll plaza at Mile 8.8 goes online the morning of September 15.
At 12:01 AM on Wednesday, Maine Turnpike Authority will throw the switch to activate the new, high-tech toll plaza at Mile 8.8 in York. That action will be in synch with deactivating the former York toll plaza a mile and a half south where construction crews will begin dismantling the historic 52-year-old southern gateway to Maine.
At the older York toll plaza, at Mile 7.3, the initial demolition will begin with the toll plaza canopy, removing it in three steps. During this time, lane pattern changes will allow the contractor, Sargent, to remove the entire structure sequentially and safely. During this process, drivers will have to navigate their way through the now dormant tollbooth lanes, and obey a 10-mile-per-hour speed limit to ensure that vehicles can travel through the passageways smoothly.
The speed limit between the old and new toll plazas is also reduced to 55 mph, and wide-loads are prohibited until after September 23.
The three traffic lane arrangements are:
Drivers approaching the old plaza should keep within the orange construction barrels marking the travel lanes and be particularly aware of other vehicles, especially when approaching narrow tollbooth lanes.
Each step will allow workers to safely isolate construction areas and remove the canopy roof above the old tollbooth lanes section by section without interrupting the flow of traffic in either direction.
In Step Three, with traffic now confined to the outside lanes, contractors will remove the center canopy and establish a secure work area in which all of the former toll plaza structures will be cleared away and six new highway lanes will be constructed.
Once those six highway lanes are completed, this configuration will be in place throughout the winter months, and drivers will proceed north and south through this new section at a reduced speed of 55 miles per hour, as workers remove the remaining outside tollbooths.
“We’ve worked side-by-side with our highway engineering team to create a safe and logical sequence of lane changes and deconstruction steps to minimize the inconvenience to turnpike travelers and maximize their safety,” said Erin Courtney, Public Outreach Manager for the Maine Turnpike Authority. “We’re asking all drivers to help us achieve that by driving cautiously and obeying reduced speed limits in this construction zone.”
The toll plaza demolition project, estimated at $12.2 million, was awarded to Sargent Corporation of Stillwater, Maine in July of this year. It is scheduled to be completed in October of 2022.
According to Peter Mills, the Turnpike’s Executive Director, the split-second hand off of responsibility from the former toll plaza to the new facility reflects the technological leap the Maine Turnpike takes with the launch of York’s new toll plaza. “Creating a toll plaza that combines the congestion moderating benefits of six highway-speed tolling lanes and the personal touch of having 24-hour toll booth staff within what was chosen as a safer location in terms of visibility for drivers approaching the plaza, we have a state-of-the-art, safer, and more efficient transportation facility that all of Maine can be proud of,” said Mills. “It’s another, very exciting milestone in the history of the Turnpike.”
The cruise-through, open-road-tolling lanes at the newly built York Toll Plaza bring the number of such facilities on the Maine Turnpike to five with a sixth scheduled to open in West Gardiner later this fall.
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.
