By Jennifer Osborn

Night Work to Ease 1A Clog By Jennifer Osborn click map for printable PDF ELLSWORTH — Route 1A reconstruction crews will maintain a night shift for at least a week in July to help improve traffic flow. Traffic has been so congested through the area that it has impeded the project’s progress and kept construction crews busy directing motorists instead of working on the road, project officials say. “We’re going to work nights during the pavement-removal phase,” said Rob Clewley, construction manager for the Maine DOT. When a mile of pavement was removed two weeks ago, one-way traffic was maintained through a portion of the 3.4-mile construction area, causing delays. Two-way traffic should be maintained for all other operations, Clewley said. The tentative schedule for night work depends on the project’s progress, but Clewley said it may occur the second week of July. The MDOT will notify the news media when a night work schedule is set, he said. “The volume of traffic down there is incredible,” he said. Indeed, the congestion has led motorists to take alternate routes to bypass Route 1A, such as Route 180 to Route 9 to get back on Route 1A in Brewer or catch I-395. The Otis General Store on Route 180 has noticed “tons more traffic” going by the store, said employee Renee Bowden. With the increased traffic has come more business, she said. On Monday afternoon, Bowden stood in the deli just watching cars fly by. Motorists also can take Route 1 to Route 46 in Bucksport to get back to Route 1A in Holden to avoid the reconstruction. However, Route 46 is being worked on as well. The Route 1A project will create three passing lanes between Lily Road in Dedham and Cove Way in Ellsworth. It also will build the road to national safety standards with 12-foot lanes and eight-foot shoulders.

ELLSWORTH — The good news is that work on the High Street widening during July and August will occur at night — not during the day — as planned, Maine Department of Transportation officials confirmed this week.

The bad news is businesses in the .66-mile project area say they are suffering.

“We’ll be starting work Tuesday night, July 5, all night, right through until Labor Day,” said Rob Clewley, who is the DOT’s construction manager for the High Street widening and the Route 1A reconstruction. “If they do work during the day, they’ll be finishing work on the side streets.”

If any daytime work impedes traffic, the contractor will have to stop, Clewley said.

The issue of night work arose after the DOT made an error in the project’s contract specifications concerning night work. City officials said the subcontractor, Wardwell Construction, had requested $200,000 for the difference.

DOT negotiated the night work to $100,000, according to Ernie Martin, the DOT’s assistant project manager. The project is budgeted at $2.3 million.

Businesses along High Street say the work is taking its toll already.

“Our foot traffic has been down, as have our sales,” said Jeff Charland, chief operating officer of Cadillac Mountain Sports. “We saw it coming, so we were able to prepare for it. We’re certainly going to be anxious for it to be done.”

Next door, the new owner of Frankie’s Café and Good Stuff, Stacey Urquhart, said she, too, is eager for the work to be done.

“I’m having a hard time,” said Urquhart. “Our lunchtime business is still very strong. But the rest of the day is not strong at all. I really had expected a boost for the summertime. I definitely see a difference already since they started doing construction.”

In other news, workers Monday installed a temporary traffic signal at the High and Main streets intersection to replace the existing traffic signals that will come down to make room for the intersection’s widening, Clewley said.

Crews will begin working on the intersection the second or third week of July, he said.

Improving safety and efficiency at the intersection is the primary purpose of the project.

The project will create three southbound lanes starting just past Church Street on Oak Street, which turns into High Street after Main Street.

The southbound lanes will include a dedicated left turn from Oak onto East Main; a middle through-traffic lane; and a third outer lane for traffic traveling right on Main Street or through to High Street. The second through-traffic lane will end at Washington Street.

Sidewalks will be built along Oak Street continuing to Washington Street.