A section of road on Mount Desert Island that has been closed since it was severely damaged by storm surge last winter is expected to reopen late Friday, according to a contractor working on repairs.
Seawall Road, named for the section of cobble beach where the road passes a saltwater pond, is popular with tourists because of its ocean views and proximity to popular sites in Acadia National Park such as Seawall Campground and Bass Harbor Head Light Station. But with the shorefront section of road closed, those sites have been largely cut off from nearby businesses, unless people are willing to drive several miles the long way around through the Tremont village of Bass Harbor.
After months of deliberations, the Maine Department of Transportation recently decided to repair and re-open the road, even though it likely will face more damage as climate change causes sea levels to rise and leads to more intense storms.
Several local contractors said they would prioritize making quick repairs to get the road reopened for the rest of summer, with Maine DOT adding that it is planning some additional repair work next spring, including some improvements to make it more resistant to storm damage.
One of the contractors working on the road, John Goodwin Jr. Construction, posted on Facebook that the road is expected to reopen to traffic on the evening of Friday, July 26.
“We still have some shoulder work and paving to complete,” the company wrote. “The project is still on track to have the road open on Friday evening!”
Local residents in Southwest Harbor and Tremont, who for months have been urging local, state and federal officials to repair and reopen the road, have been volunteering to feed people working on the project to show their gratitude, according to Bar Harbor Story.