The northbound and southbound interstate bridges over Route 1 in Yarmouth will be replaced between now and the end of 2025. Contributed / Maine DOT
Motorists who regularly travel over two bridges on I-295 in Yarmouth had better get used to driving through a construction zone.
Work that began Dec. 6 to replace the bridges over Route 1 near Exit 17 in Yarmouth is not expected to be finished until November 2025, almost four years after it started.
Extending the Beth Condon Memorial Pathway to the Yarmouth Visitor Center is also part of the construction project.
During the bridge project, crews will maintain one lane in each direction of the interstate during the day, according to the Maine Department of Transportation. Overnight, there will be occasional lane closures with some full closures that will not exceed 25 minutes at a time. One lane of traffic will be maintained on all ramps to and from the interstate, with the exception of short closures on the southbound side.
Route 1’s northbound and southbound lanes of traffic and turning lanes will be open, and flaggers will control occasional lane closures.
Drivers should expect reduced speed limits in the construction zone, said Paul Merrill, DOT’s communications director.
The $27.6 million bridge replacement is being funded through a federal grant, Merrill said, and there will no cost to the town.
Although four years may seem like a long time for a construction project, it’s the average duration for work of this magnitude, Merrill said.
The project will repair hairline cracks along the deck of the southbound bridge, rust along the beams, heavy rust on the bearings, and cracking, rust staining, fracturing of the concrete surface and exposed rebar on the columns and piers. Repairs on the northbound will address scattered hairline cracks, rust and delaminated concrete.
“These highway bridges were built in the late 1950s and are approaching the end of their useful lives,” Merrill said. “They’re structurally deficient and need to be replaced.”
Traffic on that portion of the interstate is high when compared to other roads in the state, Merrill said. The annual average daily traffic number for the southbound side of the interstate is 26,355, with 25,517 northbound.
Yarmouth Town Manager Nat Tupper said the improvements will reduce traffic tie-ups in town.
“The safety, reliability and capacity of the I-295 is critical to Yarmouth, and every disruption, accident or maintenance issue causes backups on the Interstate and diversion of traffic onto Route 1 or other Yarmouth roads that quickly become congested and delayed as well,” Tupper said. “Having MDOT proactively address bridge conditions and issues now will help tremendously to reduce the frequency of such incidents.”
The project will also extend the Condon pathway, which “has been in the town’s plans for a number of years now,” Merrill said.
“This is another phase of the path, which the town eventually hopes will extend north into Freeport,” he said.
The pathway addition will connect its current end at the VIP auto center to the Maine Visitor’s Information Center to the north. It will also cross Route 1 at the traffic signal at the Route 17 exit and end at the entrance of Delorme/Garmin, Merrill said.
“Getting through the Exit 17 interchange area will provide safe and attractive linkages for pedestrians and bicyclists and help connect a regional corridor,” Tupper said.
Merrill said Maine DOT has asked the contractor, CPM Constructors, to give them 10 days’ notice of any significant traffic delays so the public can be informed in a timely manner. Updates on lane closures and interstate closures can be found on Maine DOT’s social media channels and at maine.gov/mdot/projects.
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