Bridge closures this weekend, Monday, as railroad crossing project nears completion

Contractors have been working on the Maine State DOT project for almost a month.. (Rochester Voice photo)

WEST LEBANON, Maine - Driving between Milton, N.H., and West Lebanon is going to hit a bit of a roadblock either Friday or Saturday followed by another longer closure on Monday as state contractors make improvements to the railroad crossing and the intersection of Champion Street and Prospect Hill Road in West Lebanon and Garage Way in Milton.

Maine State DOT workers have been working on the project for about a month with no disruptions but that will change this weekend.

The first closure, which is anticipated to occur late Friday or early Saturday will be about three hours in duration, while the Monday closure will last some four hours. The closures will mean a 10-mile detour for some motorists.

The scope of the roughly $300,000 project includes the replacement of the actual tracks at the crossing along with drainage and signal improvements, according to a statement from Maine DOT. The stanchion and rail signal currently surrounded by pavement in the middle of the intersections will be relocated to the northern side of the road.

By relocating this signal, some of the existing pavement on Champion Street will be removed to reduce the currently large radius at the intersection to make it conform to current standards as well as safer, Maine officials said today.