Construction workers replace parts of a washed out culvert Thursday on Alexander Reed Road in Richmond. Rainfall damaged the road in March, and the Maine Department of Transportation expects to reopen it next month. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
RICHMOND — The section of Alexander Reed Road where a culvert collapsed is expected to reopen for use next month, according to officials.
Paul Merrill, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Transportation, said half of the box culvert sections are installed and the “rest should be done by the end of the week.” The agency replaced the previously used twin steel pipes with a 24-foot wide concrete box culvert.
Merrill said the Department of Transportation is “a few weeks away” from paving and “a month away” from reopening the road.
The culvert at the Abagadasset River collapsed in late March from rainfall and was initially expected to be closed for four to six weeks before officials later estimated it wouldn’t be repaired until September.
The collapsed culvert where Alexander Reed Road crosses over the Abagadasset River in Richmond is seen in March. The Maine Department of Transportation has been repairing the road this week and expects to reopen it in September. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal file
Drivers traveling on the road have been instructed to use state Route 197 and U.S. Route 201, depending on which direction the vehicle is traveling from.
Washed out culverts have caused trouble elsewhere in the state, most recently in Jackman, where the infrastructure problem caused a 143-mile detour.
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