Long delays expected as Westbrook bridge work begins Friday

A couple things just came in from the Maine Department of Transportation. Most pertinent to Portland area drivers is the following:

Underground utility work will begin on Friday, April 6th at 8 p.m. on the Cumberland Street Bridge in Westbrook. Long delays are expected through the area. There will be lane closures at night and traffic shifts during the daytime hours, so drivers should consider traveling the mandatory truck detour route beginning and ending at the intersections of Bridge Street and Cumberland Street, as well as Warren Avenue and Main Street. (Route 25). This alternate route will be in effect until the completion of the bridge construction, scheduled for November of 2013.

Variable message boards will help remind motorists ahead of the project, as well as help guide them through the construction area.

For those who find themselves commuting to, through or from the southern midcoast area, here’s some Route 196 news you’ll be interested in for this evening, also from MDOT:

Route 196 in Topsham is closed due to a structure fire. Motorists are being detoured onto the River Road until further notice. The closure is expected be in place for several hours, so crews have set up message boards to guide travelers through the alternate route.

Seth Koenig

About Seth Koenig

Seth has nearly a decade of professional journalism experience and writes about the greater Portland region.