AUGUSTA — The small section of Gage Street that runs along one side of the Augusta Fire Department’s Hartford Fire Station will be closed permanently at 12 p.m. Monday ahead of a construction project that will expand the downtown station.

The section of road that will be closed runs along the east side of the station from Water Street to Memorial Drive, or U.S. Route 202, where it meets Memorial Bridge.

Augusta firefighter/paramedic Kevin Curry shows what a tight fit it is as he moves Engine 3 to another bay in 2014 at Hartford Fire Station. The station is scheduled to undergo an expansion starting this month, and the part of Gage Street that runs next to it will be closed to traffic permanently. Staff file photo by Joe Phelan

While the closure will render the road permanently off-limits to drivers, it will re-open for pedestrians when the 500-day construction project is complete, according to a post on the Fire Department’s Facebook page. The construction is scheduled to begin this month.

Drivers no longer will be able to turn right from Memorial Bridge onto Gage Street, and the Fire Department advises drivers who need to enter downtown Augusta to use the rotaries on either side of the bridge. During construction, pedestrians can use Swan Street, which runs parallel to Gage Street.

A traffic message board will be placed on the east side of Memorial Bridge announcing the closure, and the road will be blocked by barriers and “Road closed” signs.

The section of Gage Street that continues south from Memorial Drive will not be affected by the closure. The construction project will more than double the size of the station, which sits prominently on Rines Hill, overlooking the city’s downtown.

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