ROCKLAND, Maine — The long-awaited reconstruction of a section of a heavily traveled, deteriorating road has started.
The $2.7 million project, which is expected to be done by the end of July, will consist of rebuilding and paving about 1 mile of Old County Road, from Thompson Meadow Road to Route 17. The road also will be widened to include a bicycle lane and shoulders.
Crooker Construction of Topsham was the successful bidder.
In November 2014, city residents voted 2,047 to 551 to approve borrowing $1.6 million for the project. The city manager said the Maine Department of Transportation will cover the rest of the cost.
Old County Road runs from Route 1 in Thomaston to Route 1 in Rockport. The City Council received considerable complaints from residents about the road’s poor condition before the 2014 referendum.
A committee consisting of representatives of interested parties along the 6-mile-long road called in April 2013 for major improvements to the road, particularly with the expected increase in traffic with the opening of the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Thomaston. That store opened in October 2013.
In 2010, the Maine Department of Transportation found that 7,700 cars use the Rockland section of the road on an average day.