LEWISTON — Road crews are scheduled to remove a second support beam from under the Maine Turnpike’s southbound lane Thursday, closing both lanes of Lisbon Street for two hours overnight.
Crews closed the road last month to remove one of five 101-foot steel beams that support the turnpike as it passes over Lisbon Street. A second beam will be removed Thursday, clearing the way for a summertime road widening project.
“It’s the last time we should have to close the road for this project, at least for a couple of months,” said resident engineer Charlie Myers. Myers said work will focus now on building new abutments and supports for the wider road.
“Each lane has five supporting beams, and we have to remove two of them,” he said. “When we get the supports built, we’ll install three new beams.”
On the turnpike, southbound traffic between Sabattus and Lewiston has been detoured onto part of the northbound lanes. That should continue for the duration of the project.
On Lisbon Street, the work will close Lisbon Street between 11 a.m. and 1 a.m. Traffic will alternate in both directions.
Work widening both north and southbound lanes of the turnpike is
scheduled to be completed by June 2011.
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