NORWAY – The Department of Transportation has announced that two highway projects will begin Monday.

Improvements to sections of routes 117 and 26 in Norway and Paris will affect motorists by daily lane closures, DOT officials said Friday.

The Route 117 project begins about 1.3 miles north of Gore Road in Norway and continues north approximately 1.1 miles to the Old Stage Road and Country Club Road intersection with Route 117 in Norway. The work on Route 117 will involve clearing and utility relocation, excavation, ditching, placement of drainage pipes and gravel, and then paving of the road.

The Route 26 project begins at the intersection of Alpine and Fair streets in Paris and continues east for approximately a tenth of a mile. The work will include removal of a flush concrete island, installation of a raised granite-and-asphalt island and paving the road.

While the projects are in progress, the contractor will frequently establish one-way alternating traffic using flaggers.

Work is planned to begin as soon as Monday, June 8, and continue through this year’s construction season and into next year, with a contract completion date of July 2010. The contractor on the two projects, which are being performed under a single contract for $1,687,000, is K&K Excavation of Turner.

The Maine DOT project team urges motorists to observe all signs and exercise extra caution while traveling through the work areas.