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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 02, 2019
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Construction of final Open Road Tolling Plaza on Pike has begun
Scheduled completion of ORT at I-295 Plaza in West Gardiner is late 2021
WEST GARDINER, Maine - The Maine Turnpike Authority (MTA) has begun the construction of its sixth Open Road Tolling (ORT) Plaza on the Maine Turnpike. The toll plaza is at the junction of the Maine Turnpike I-95 and I-295 in West Gardiner. This plaza is the final mainline toll plaza to be converted to ORT. ORT plazas provide E-ZPass customers the convenience of cruising through at highway speeds while sensors collect the toll electronically. Those who prefer to pay cash may do so safely by pulling to the right to pay at staffed toll booths.
The $30 million project was awarded to Sargent Corporation from Stillwater, Maine in April 2019. To date, Sargent has completed clearing and stumping operations and begun work on an access road.
The new plaza will include two highway speed ORT lanes, both northbound and southbound, as well as three cash lanes each direction. The new plaza will be located approximately 700 feet north of the existing facility. The new plaza is scheduled to open in late 2021.
“The Maine Turnpike Authority is excited to be working with Sargent on this project as we bring this plaza up to the modern standards our customers deserve,” said executive director, Peter Mills.
This work requires realignment and widening of the roadway and ramps, construction of the toll plaza and a tunnel, installation of tolling equipment and infrastructure, installation of advanced guide signs, demolition of the existing plaza and admin building, and construction of a new admin building and associated parking.
Also, in preparation for this construction, rehabilitation of the Exit 103 I-295 Southbound Underpass Bridge has been on going. This work includes bridge, abutment and pier widening, replacement of the concrete deck as well as earthwork and guardrail improvements. The work will be completed this fall.
Other ORT plazas in New Gloucester, Falmouth and West Gardiner have been completed. Exit 44 in Scarborough is open, with some work still to be done around the plaza, while another is being constructed in York with an anticipated opening in 2021.
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