York Town News
CLOSED: Route 91 repairs start this morning; Passaconaway Bridge work to begin this week
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK - Beginning today, Wednesday, Nov. 8, it's going to take longer to get where you're going if you're accustomed to traveling along Route 91.That is because a portion of the road will be closed as work begins on a temporary repair to the culvert that was damaged during the Mother's Day storm. The road has been reduced to one lane since that time, but York Public Works Director Bill Bray confirmed the full closure during certain hours of the day is necessary for work that must be done to shore up the area for the winter months. The work is needed as the state is not expected to give the green light for the permanent fix of the road until the spring.
The project, Bray explained, is being overseen by the state, as it is funded by Federal Highway Administration emergency repair funding. Although the temporary repairs have been contracted locally, the state determines the timeline for the work to be done.
The road is expected to be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Nov. 17.
Town Manager Rob Yandow noted that the town's goal had been to have an agreement in place with the Maine Department of Transportation for permanent repairs, but the timing did not allow that to happen before the winter season.
"With the state and Federal Highway Administration footing the bill, they determine the scope of the work," Bray explained. "Based on the lateness of the year, there wasn't anything we could do but get out there and make the road safe for the winter."
The town has been working with the York School Department to create alternate bus routes during the closure, Bray said.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henry Scipione and Assistant Superintendent Jim Amoroso confirmed Tuesday that those plans are in place.
The closure does require changes in several bus routes, Scipione said, and information has been sent to each of the schools for the parents whose children will be affected by the road closure.
Amoroso said the School Department and Ledgemere Transportation have reconfigured certain routes for the approximately two-week period and, in some cases, changed which buses students will take during that time. Routes affected by the closure include buses 16, 17, 20 and 25.
For commuters, Bray said, "The intent will be to use Scotland Bridge Road as the basic detour. Obviously, people have the option of using Birch Hill as well."
The town will be supervising the project, Bray said, with the funding coming from the state.
"We're working to stabilize the erosion on the embankment through the winter," he said. "Hopefully, sometime in mid to late spring, we will commence construction on the permanent repair, which is a new culvert."
Meanwhile, another major construction project that must be undertaken as a result of the Mother's Day storm is also slated to begin this week. The temporary Maybee Bridge on the site of the former Passaconaway Bridge along Shore Road is scheduled to be dismantled later this week to make way for the beginning of construction for the new bridge.
Yandow said the state's goal is to complete the bridge by Memorial Day, although the project could take longer.
Once the removal of the Maybee Bridge begins, Bray said the detours around the site that were in effect at the time of the storm back in May will once again be in place.
Like the Route 91 project, Bray said the cost of the Passaconaway Bridge project will be covered with funds from the FHA.
Two culvert repairs at locations that are not state roads - Logging and Clay Hill - are being funded with Federal Emergency Management Agency allocations provided to the town as a result of the damages incurred in the storm, Bray said.
"If everything goes well, Clay Hill Road should be opened by Friday of this week," Bray said of the ongoing work at those sites. "Logging Road is a little bit of a different issue. We'll be in to the early part of December before it is open to traffic."
