Turnpike News
Northbound on-ramp from Falmouth Spur to Maine Turnpike will close Tuesday July 13th at 5 am for One Year. Closure necessary for safety of drivers and construction workers.
FALMOUTH - The northbound on-ramp from the Falmouth spur to the northbound lanes of the Maine Turnpike in Falmouth will be closed for approximately one year, beginning at 5 a.m. Tuesday, July 13, as a major construction project takes place on the Presumpscot River Bridge, which is located immediately north of the where the ramp enters the Turnpike. The MTA looked at a number of options to keep the ramp open during construction, but concluded that doing so would create an unsafe condition for both drivers on the Turnpike, drivers entering on the ramp and workers at the project site. The MTA has been informing drivers of the closure via roadside message boards, media and handouts.
“The mixture of merging traffic, turnpike traffic and construction activities all at the same location presented intolerable safety risks, said MTA spokesman, Dan Paradee. Closing the ramp during the first twelve months of the project will also allow us to complete the overall bridge project in 18 months instead of 27 months. It will surely be an inconvenience for some, but we’re convinced it is the right thing to do,” Paradee said.
Paradee emphasized that only the northbound on-ramp would be closed. All other entry and exit ramps at Exit 52 will remain open. The northbound on-ramp carries an average of 1500 vehicles per day—a relatively light volume when compared to other ramps at Exit 52. For example, the southbound on-ramp at Exit 52 carries an average of 3,600 vehicles per day.
The MTA is advising drivers who use the northbound ramp to select an alternate route and to consider any Turnpike exits south of the Falmouth Spur, including Exits 44 through 48. “We have found that for many people these alternate entry points are just a quick as using the Falmouth spur,” Paradee said.
Presumpscot River Bridge Project
The northbound on-ramp leads directly into the Presumpscot River Bridge, which carries the Turnpike over the Presumpscot River. The bridge was originally constructed in 1954 and is in need of major rehabilitation. The $6.5 million bridge project will improve safety by widening the bridge and adding shoulders in both northbound and southbound directions. The bridge piers that extend down into the Presumpscot River will be rehabilitated and two new piers will be constructed to support the wider bridge deck. The merge ramps leading to the Turnpike will also be lengthened to allow for safer entry. The project has been designed to maintain two lanes of traffic over the bridge in both directions, so major traffic delays are not expected—some may occur during peak summer hours.
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