A Gorham construction company has been given a contract worth more than $10 million to rebuild a 2-mile section of Route 100 in West Falmouth.
Jay Reynolds, Falmouth’s Public Works director, announced Tuesday that Shaw Brothers Construction Inc. of Gorham submitted the low bid of $10.2 million. Reynolds said the town also hired Sebago Technics to serve as the onsite construction inspector – its bid came in at $207,000.
A detailed construction schedule will be released later, but the town estimates that work should be finished by September 2020.
The Route 100 Infrastructure Project calls for rebuilding the section of Route 100 between Leighton Road and the Libby Bridge. Dedicated turn lanes will be added at Route 100’s intersections with Mountain and Falmouth roads and Leighton Road.
Sidewalks and street lighting will be added to improve pedestrian safety, and public sewer will be extended between Leighton and Mountain roads. Bicycle lanes will be installed between the Portland city line and the Libby Bridge.
The town will borrow $6 million and the Maine Department of Transportation will provide up to $4 million, according to Town Manager Nathan Poore and Theo Holtwijk, director of Long Range Planning and Economic Development. The balance will be funded with revenues from the existing West Falmouth Tax Increment Financing district.
Town and state officials have been considering improvements to Route 100 for several years. In 2014, Falmouth established the Route 100 Committee to study potential improvements in the West Falmouth neighborhood.
The Route 100 Committee held 23 public meetings, four public forums and conducted an online survey, which led to a town-wide referendum vote in June 2016, where voters approved funding.
About 10,000 vehicles a day use Route 100 in West Falmouth, which connects Portland to Gray and other communities, and to western Maine ski areas and other destinations.
The condition of the road has deteriorated and it does not safely accommodate pedestrian or bicycle traffic. Road reconstruction was planned in 2009 but fell through due to lack of funding.
Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:
dhoey@pressherald.com
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