A major construction project will begin Monday on Bangor’s Hogan Road.
The “diverging diamond interchange,” first proposed in 2016, during President Barack Obama’s last year in office, will radically reshape traffic at the Interstate 95 overpass and ramps.
It’s been beset with delays, but the Maine Department of Transportation announced Wednesday morning that construction is finally beginning.
Crews will begin constructing a new bridge south of the existing bridges, and the department expects little impact on traffic during this stage.
Drivers, however, may experience delays — particularly lane reductions and alternative traffic patterns — while crews install new drainage systems and move utility poles. Traffic on I-95 will be reduced to one lane on both the north- and southbound sides from July 1 to Sept. 12. Ramps onto and off the interstate may be closed overnight at times.
Beyond constructing the new bridge, crews will rehabilitate the old eastbound bridge and demolish the old westbound bridge.
The Exit 187 interchange was built in 1960 and is considered one of the state’s busiest, with about 35,000 vehicles traversing it every day.
The project would eliminate left-hand turns off the highway, while drivers heading for I-95 north or south would no longer have to wait at stop lights before continuing on their way.
Additionally, its two crossover lanes would force drivers to stop before continuing east or west on Hogan Road, while putting an end to sudden turns onto highway ramps and cutting down on speeding.
It also will bring a protected pedestrian path, enabling walkers and cyclists for the first time to safely cross from one side of Hogan Road to the other without a long detour.
The nearly $57 million contract, up from a 2022 estimate of $35 million, has been awarded to Freeport-based CPM Constructors.
Construction is expected to wrap up in fall 2029.