CARRABASSETT VALLEY — Authorities reopened washed-out Route 27 on Tuesday evening, just hours after the Federal Highway Administration announced it was sending $1 million to help repair roads and bridges damaged by Tropical Storm Irene.
Reed and Reed Inc. of Woolwich worked extended shifts through the holiday weekend to build two temporary bridges on Route 27, replacing spans that had been destroyed by heavy rains and flooding brought by Irene, Maine Department of Transportation spokesman Mark Latti said.
Both bridges were opened just before 8 p.m. Tuesday, Carrabassett Valley police said. The bridges are open to all traffic.
If negotiations are successful, the contractor will begin construction immediately on permanent spans to replace the original bridges, Latti said.
Route 27 is a major trucking route between Maine and Quebec and provides access to the Sugarloaf Mountain ski resort.
Officials are hoping to follow a tight construction schedule to complete the permanent bridges by November and the start of the ski season, a Carrabassett Valley police dispatcher said.
Some of the money to repair Route 27 will likely come from the $1 million in quick release emergency funding headed for Maine that U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced Tuesday. The emergency funding will be available immediately, he said in a news release.
“We are ready to help Maine in its recovery,” Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez said in the release. “These quick release funds represent only the beginning of what they will need to restore highways and bridges in the state.”
Quick release emergency funds provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration are used to reimburse communities for the cost of repairs to resume essential traffic flow immediately after the flooding and to prevent further damage.
Maine is the third New England state to receive federal quick release funds since Irene brought flooding and destruction to the region on Aug. 28. Vermont, among the hardest-hit states, was granted $5 million on Aug. 31; Connecticut received $1 million on Sept. 2.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.