Major Traffic Alert In Portland City

Press release from the City of Portland:

April 7, 2021

The next phase of the I-295 Exit 7 (Franklin St) ramp closures will begin Monday, April 12. Currently, the southbound off ramp is closed. Starting April 12, the northbound off ramp will be closed, and then on April 19, all on and off ramps will be closed for approximately three weeks.

The variable message boards around the project area, as well as on I-295, will alert motorists to the latest ramp closure information. Motorists should make plans to seek alternate routes during this time.

These closures are part of the City’s Back Cove South Storage Facility Project, and are necessary in order to connect the existing utilities within the intersection of Marginal Way and Franklin Street to the new storage tanks under the Preble Street playing fields.

The project is one of the City’s latest sewer separation projects to prevent combined sewer overflows into Back Cove. The work to reduce overflows is part of the City’s agreement with the U.S. EPA to reduce and eliminate the flow of combined waste being discharged. A combined sewer system transports wastewater from home, industries, and businesses, as well as storm water collected from streets, parking lots, roofs, and yards to the East End Wastewater Treatment Plant. A combined sewer overflow occurs when the combined sewer capacity is overwhelmed during heavy rain events and a mix of sewer and storm water is discharged into Back Cove.

The Department of Public Works has been coordinating with the prime contractor, Sargent Corporation, and the Maine Department of Transportation to put forth a sequencing and staging plan as part of a traffic control plan to minimize the impacts to the traveling public. MaineDOT has requested that all work be completed by Memorial Day, May 31, 2021.

The project schedule and related graphics can be found on the Public Works website.

This press release was produced by the City of Portland. The views expressed here are the author’s own.