GARDINER (AP) – The southbound lanes of Interstate 295 from Gardiner to Topsham were reopening Saturday, three weeks ahead of the deadline for completing the massive repaving project that shut down the 18-mile section in mid-June.

The state Department of Transportation announced Saturday morning that the opening was set for 6 p.m.

Crews managed to get the work done despite one of the wettest construction seasons on record, officials said.

Pike Industries and its subcontractors worked 16 hours a day, seven days a week, completing the $28.5 million project without any job site injuries, Commissioner David Cole said.

The deadline for completing the work was Aug. 30, but Pike’s contract had incentives that offered a bonus of up to $2 million for an early finish.

Crews removed the top layer of concrete from the 36-year-old road, crushed the bottom layer of concrete and repaved the road with more than 180,000 tons of asphalt. Seven miles of guardrail were installed and five bridges were rebuilt.

Planners concluded that a complete shutdown of the southbound lanes would allow the contractor to work multiple crews at multiple locations for long hours, avoiding the need to carry out the work in stages over three years.

While the repaving was under way, southbound traffic on I-295 was diverted onto the Maine Turnpike and U.S. 201.

Officials had predicted that about 30 percent of travelers would opt for the toll road, but nearly 50 percent took that route. That held down the volume of cars and trucks on U.S. 201, which had its safest summer in five years despite the increased traffic, the MDOT said.

AP-ES-08-09-08 1053EDT