Work continues on Aroostook County roads
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
The latest scheduled road maintenance will take place over the next couple weeks on the McBurnie Road in Presque Isle, with the road temporarily closed and traffic re-routed so that workers can replace an aging culvert.
“Maine DOT crews must close the McBurnie Road in Presque Isle in order to replace a deteriorating culvert, starting Monday, Aug. 22,” said Mark Latti, spokesperson for the DOT.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
OUT WITH THE OLD and in with new pavement on a section of Route 1 just north of the Aroostook River bridge. The Maine DOT resurfaced a section measuring about three-quarters of a mile, with crews putting the finishing touches on it this week.
According to Latti, the road will be closed for 12 days.
“McBurnie is scheduled to reopen on Friday, Sept. 2. During that time, the road will be closed to through traffic. The culvert is located approximately 1.7 miles north of the intersection of Route 164 (Washburn Road) with the McBurnie Road,” said Latti.
While the McBurnie Road is closed, motorists will be directed to a signed detour that uses Route 164, Route 1 and the Doyle Road.
Road crews have been busy this summer performing annual maintenance and repairs to various routes throughout the region, with work continuing as fall approaches.
“Crews are finishing up on a paving project north of the Aroostook River bridge,” said Brent Bubar, region engineer, DOT.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
SAFETY FIRST — Mechanical traffic control systems like this one spotted recently on the State Road in Castle Hill this summer have reduced the number of worker accidents at construction sites. The DOT began using the devices in the area about three years ago and finds they work well, keeping traffic flowing while reducing injuries.
That project included stripping and repaving a section about three-quarters of a mile north of the bridge.
“We’ve had several projects like that recently. Two other paving projects included part of the old bypass in Caribou, near the first traffic light and beyond High Street; another on Fort Fairfield Street — a stretch between the bypass and Main Street that runs about a quarter mile,” he said.
With safety a growing factor over the years, Bubar said the department has been using a form of electronic flagger that controls traffic using red and green lights, similar to a stop light, rather than the human counterpart.
“We’ve been using machines for two or three years. We have two or three systems now; we try to expand and get a new unit whenever we can. Some have a set timing pattern, while others are controlled by a person,” said Bubar. “They definitely help reduce the risk to workers.”
Bubar said much of the work this year has been paving jobs that don’t have a set time but depend on the availability of contractors.
“The jobs are ‘floating,’ to allow contractors to work within our schedule — working with their plans,” said Bubar.
Other road project this summer have included the replacing of a culvert at a residence on the State Road in Castle Hill.
In Presque Isle, work has been completed on Second and Third streets, including upgrades to sidewalks.
In Mars Hill, work is being performed along Route 1 south of town to upgrade the town’s infrastructure, with a number of pipes being replaced.
In Easton, a culvert was replaced on the Fuller Road.
“That was regular maintenance to replace the culvert that had begun to deteriorate. Traffic was re-routed for about a week. Work has been completed and the road has reopened,” said Town Manager Jim Gardner. “All we have left is some regular maintenance in a few spots around town. We don’t have any major projects scheduled for the remainder of the year.”
