The reconstruction of a 5.6 mile section of Route 11 between Portage and Eagle Lake will create one of the state’s longest truck lanes in an effort to improve safety for both logging trucks and regular vehicles.
Soderberg Construction has been at work since November on a $7.6 million contract to reconstruct, improve and widen a 5.6 mile stretch of Route 11 in the unorganized territories between Portage and Eagle Lake. This is the last stretch of Route 11 between Ashland and Fort Kent to be rebuilt with current engineering standards, according to the Maine Department of Transportation.
The work over the winter has focused on clearing trees and excavation. Construction will start in the spring of 2017 with completion expected in November 2018, said Ted Talbot, spokesperson for the MDOT.
During construction this spring, summer and fall, traffic will be reduced to one-way with the use of flaggers in work zones, Talbot said. With the existing pavement being removed during the project, some of those sections will be over gravel, he added.
The reconstruction of this section of Route 11 has been much needed to include modern road standards and more space for the logging trucks that rely on the roadway to access mills.
“The existing conditions of very rough gravel shoulders will be no more, with newly built and paved shoulders,” Talbot said. “Overall, the road project will result in a safer roadway for all vehicles, big and small alike.”
The new roadway also will have one of the longest truck lanes for the ascent of Soucy Hill, with a 1.5 mile long second lane.
There are also several features aimed at aiding wildlife and keeping them out of traffic.
There were three separate moose wallow areas that were identified as regular moose crossings, and the project calls for placing large rocks, also known as riprap, at the edge of the roadway to deter moose from crossing.
“The concept is that moose are predominately top heavy and do not like to walk on uneven rocks so the thought is that the moose will find someplace else to go instead of crossing the road,” Talbot said.
A six foot reinforced concrete pipe also will be installed adjacent to a stream culvert to offer a way for Canada Lynx to safely cross the road, Talbot said.