AUGUSTA — Drivers who frequent Mount Vernon Avenue, one of the city’s main arteries, might want to rethink that route starting Monday as paving work begins.
The state’s $4.3 million road reconstruction project, which began in May 2014 and extended through two construction seasons, is entering its final phase and is expected to be completed by the end of June. Last summer, a half-mile section of the road was restricted to northbound traffic.
On Friday, message boards at Civic Center Drive and Townsend Road and Bridge and State streets displayed the news about the start of the paving, work which Ted Talbot, spokesman for the Maine Department of Transportation, warned was dependent on temperature and precipitation.
“We’re going to start milling at 4 a.m. Monday if the weather holds and start paving a few hours later,” said Dean Rowlands, the state’s resident inspector for the project.
Milling the top 2 inches off the road surface leaves a grooved pavement.
“It has to be 40 degrees for base and shim paving and 50 degrees for surface paving,” Rowlands said. “They can mill if it’s not pouring.”
The work will begin at the intersection with Bond Street and move north in the northbound lane, and the intent is to have complete the initial milling prior to the morning commuter traffic.
“They’re going to grind 2 inches off of it and then repave,” Rowlands said. The paving will take place between the bridge over Bond Brook and Fielding’s Fuel Depot.
On Tuesday, the southbound lane will receive the same treatment, but only as far as the Norris Flooring building, since some of the work was done previously.
Work is to continue at various sections of the half-mile project, but Rowlands said, “The plan is to do some paving every day next week.”
While roadwork is underway, flaggers are controlling movement in the narrower sections of the road, halting drivers in one direction to allow the other direction to flow through.
Other work remains along the roadway as well, including installation of fencing atop retaining walls and putting sidewalks in front of the walls.
“Once they pave in front of the walls, then they can go back in and set more granite curbing,” Rowlands said.
About 30 people are working on the project itself.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
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