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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 09, 2026
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Roadside Clearing Begins on I-95 Northbound in York County
The maintenance work will enhance safety and occur along the northbound mainline
between Mile Marker 17 and Exit 19, and from Mile Marker 23 to Mile Marker 32.4.
PORTLAND, Maine – A contractor working for Maine Turnpike Authority has started a roadside clearing project along the northbound side of the Turnpike (I-95) in York County this month. The contractor, Comprehensive Land Technologies, Inc. of South China, Maine, will clear vegetation along sections of the Turnpike to improve safety and visibility.
The work will occur along the northbound mainline between Mile Marker 17 and Exit 19, and from Mile Marker 23 to Mile Marker 32.4. The project is expected to take 5 weeks, weather permitting. To ensure safety for travelers and workers, the project may involve shoulder closures and occasional right-lane closures. Communication with municipal officials will continue throughout the project.
Vegetation clearing is routine maintenance, not part of new construction. The work restores the “clear zone,” the open space between the pavement edge and the right-of-way buffer that gives drivers room to recover if their car leaves the roadway.
Maintaining this area improves safety for Turnpike travelers in three ways:
- Reduced crash severity: Removing trees near the roadway minimizes the chance of a vehicle striking a fixed object.
- Better wildlife visibility: Drivers can more easily spot large animals like deer, reducing collision risk.
- Improved winter road conditions: Less shade means more sunlight reaches the pavement, helping ice melt faster and lowering the need for salt and de-icers.
Along with improving visibility, this project intends to:
- Remove hazardous trees that could pose a risk to motorists.
- Reestablish the clearing limits established in the early 2000s.
This routine maintenance project involves removing approximately 25 acres of vegetation from the roadside to reestablish Clear Zones constructed from earlier roadway improvements,” said MTA Project Manager Brian Taddeo. “It restores intended safety margins and will remove hazardous trees that could topple over into the roadway during severe weather events, which has been an ongoing problem in recent years.”
The Maine Turnpike Authority does not take the removal of even a single tree lightly.
MTA Spokesperson Cyndi Farrell added:
“Whenever clearing is necessary for safety, it is done with careful balance—protecting motorists on the Turnpike and ensuing we have all the right permitting with respect to environmental conditions. Pushing the tree line back improves visibility and gives drivers more time to react which can help save lives. Maine is the most forested state in the nation, and thankfully this regular maintenance along the Turnpike represents a small portion of landscape. The removal of any tree is a decision we take seriously. Trees are cleared strictly for safety—not for aesthetics.”
Removed trees from the northbound mainline project will be sent to JA Simpson, Inc. in Sanford, where they’re recycled into mulch made from 100% natural forest products. Remaining logs will go to Sappi in Skowhegan—one of North America’s largest integrated pulp and paper mills—supporting Maine’s forest economy.
For information on this project, please reach out to Brian Taddeo, Project Manager, Maintenance Department, Maine Turnpike Headquarters, 2360 Congress Street, Portland.