Exit 4 on I-295 in South Portland to be closed for construction
The ramp of Exit 4 of I-295 in South Portland will be temporarily closed from Aug. 9 through Aug. 11 as part of the ongoing construction project to add a new, two-way overpass to the highway.
From Aug. 9 through Aug. 11, Route 1 will be closed between Billy Vachon Avenue and the southbound ramp of that exit from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Traffic will be detoured through Main Street, Westbrook Street and Broadway, and drivers should expect delays.
The new overpass is expected to be completed this fall, about a year and half after construction began.
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Long-term road project will detour traffic at Veterans Bridge and I-295
The $12.4 million project will make the overpass a two-way road, adding southbound access to I-295 from Main Street in an effort to ease traffic on Broadway– the main, cross-town artery.
Broadway is one of the state’s busiest roads, and this overpass redesign is one of several projects that the Maine Department of Transportation has spearheaded in recent years to mitigate congestion and traffic flow.
There is currently no southbound access from that interchange to I-295, and many drivers normally access the highway through Exit 3. The project will also include a new off-ramp from Veterans Memorial Bridge to I-295 to allow southbound access.
Since last March, the ramp from the Veterans Memorial Bridge has been reduced from two lanes to one, with orange traffic cones slowing passage by the active construction site and directing drivers to use the detour at Exit 3.
In a few months, if all goes according to schedule, vehicles will flow through the new overpass.
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Tagged: Maine Department of Transportation, transportation
Dana Richie is a community reporter covering South Portland and Cape Elizabeth. Originally from Atlanta, she fell in love with the landscape and quirks of coastal New England while completing her undergraduate. More by Dana Richie
