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RICHMOND

Road closure surprises town

Route 197 will be closed for up to five days in mid-August

By Keith Edwards kedwards@centralmaine.com
Staff Writer

RICHMOND -- Town officials were surprised to learn this week that Route 197 -- the heavily traveled main route from Interstate 295 into Richmond -- will be closed for up to five days in mid-August.

The state Department of Transportation plans to replace a large culvert where Route 197 passes over Baker Brook, just before the Richmond Business and Manufacturing Center.

Local officials don't dispute the work needs to be done -- pavement at the site is eroded and crumbling -- but they would have liked to have known in advance it was happening, especially so businesses that rely on the road for access to the Interstate could be alerted.

And they'd prefer at least one lane be kept open to traffic.

"We received no notification," Town Manager Marian Anderson said. "They haven't notified the town, businesses ... no one."

The work is scheduled to take between three and five days, Aug. 16 to 20, according to Richmond Police Chief Scott MacMaster.

Anderson said town officials only heard about the project by chance on Monday. Richmond Utilities District employees working on a district project on Route 197 saw a engineer from the transportation department at the site and asked what he was doing there, she said.

State transportation officials acknowledge advance notification didn't occur as it should have, and are looking into delaying the work to allow more time for notification.

"Notification could have been done better," Department of Transportation spokesman Mark Latti said. "We're looking at the project to see if it can be delayed, so we can get better word out to people and businesses in that area. We're also looking to see if the condition of that culvert could withstand the project being postponed."

Fire Chief Andrew Pierce said detouring around the worksite to get to an emergency on the other side could mean a seven-mile detour for an emergency vehicle, according to Anderson.

State Sen. Seth Goodall, D-Richmond, said he has met with Department of Transportation Commissioner David Cole, who he said apologized and said the agency made a mistake by not properly notifying locals.

He also asked Cole to review the project to see if there is any way one travel lane can be kept open to traffic.

Goodall and selectmen said not being able to have trucks deliver goods -- or potential customers be able to get to town directly from I-295 -- would have a negative effect on local businesses.

"It's already a down economy, we don't want to hurt our businesses any more," Goodall said. "I'd rather have a two- or three-minute wait (if one lane is kept open) than a seven-mile detour."

Selectman Tracy Tuttle noted Shucks Maine Lobster has many large trucks come from I-295 to its Route 197 facility, which is just past the project site, every day the business is in production.

Tuttle also said Route 197 is used by many motorists, including tourists, to get to coastal areas such as Wiscasset.

Anderson said the transportation department plans to detour Route 197 traffic to Alexander Reed Road. She said locals also would likely use back roads, such as Langdon Road.

Latti said the nature of the project -- on a steep, confined site -- would make it very difficult to keep one lane open.

He said keeping one lane open would likely require more permitting, as workers would have to fill in an area and widen the road to create a temporary bypass around the culvert being replaced.

That, he said, would add time and expense. So for now, the project still appears to be scheduled for Aug. 16-20 and to involve a full closure of that section of road.

Keith Edwards -- 621-5647

kedwards@centralmaine.com