Spring road projects, continued bypass construction on tap in Presque Isle

Construction on the first section of Presque Isle's Route 1 Bypass will resume this summer and is scheduled for completion in the fall, says Bob Watson, region manager of the Maine Department of Transportation. The first 1.5 miles runs north to south between Route 167 and Conant Road. (Melissa Lizotte)

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Maine Department of Transportation has several projects planned for spring and summer to fix damaged roads in and around Presque Isle, according to DOT Region Manager Bob Watson. 

Local crews will repave a 1.75 mile section of Parson Street in Presque Isle, from the State Street intersection near Aroostook Centre Mall to the 5 way intersection on State Street, and a 1.18 mile section of Route 1 between Mars Hill and Blaine.

Both roads are in need of repairs due to potholes and wheel ruts that have formed due to increased amounts of rain that fell during the recent winter months and to the thawing and freezing that also occurred. Watson expects the projects to begin in May and last for around a month. Paving projects typically cost around $300,000 depending on the width of the road and how much new pavement is needed.

“Normally in the winter, temperatures never warm up enough to rain. This year we got so much rain that water got into cracks in the road, froze and expanded into more potholes,” Watson said. “Typically new surfaces on roads can last 10 years.”

Watson urges drivers to use caution while on the roads in early spring and to slow down when they see signs that signal an incoming construction area or a traffic control worker.

“Generally we start to see potholes this time of year and we want people to know that our crews are getting around to them as quickly as we can,” Watson said.

This summer the Madawaska-based contractor Ed Pelletier & Sons will continue the first phase of construction for Presque Isle’s Route 1 Bypass. The bypass will reduce industrial traffic through residential and downtown areas of the city and include a corridor for heavy trucks.

Watson expects that crews will complete the first 1.5 mile section of the bypass, which runs roughly north-to-south between Route 167 and Conant Road, in fall 2018.

The second 5 mile section of the bypass, which will connect Conant Road with Route 1 to the south, is likely to begin in 2022. The estimated $50 million project is currently being designed but does not yet have state or federal funds. Phase one of the bypass has an approximate cost of $8 million.

“It will take some time for us to arrange the $50 million funding for phase two,” Watson said.

The third section of the bypass will start at Fort Road in Mars Hill, include a bridge that crosses over the river to the north and connect back to Route 1. Construction for that section will begin no earlier than 2025, according to Watson.