Drivers using Route 17 in Dixfield and Jay or Route 2 in Wilton and Farmington should be alert for construction crews for the next several weeks, according to the Maine Department of Transportation.

“We’re beginning work on projects to improve three and one-half miles of Route 17 in Dixfield and Jay and almost three and one-half miles of Route 2 in Wilton and Farmington,” explained Craig Nash, Maine DOT’s construction manager on both projects, which Maine DOT combined into a single construction contract as an economy measure.

The Jay-Wilton project area begins at the intersection of Routes 4 and 17 in Jay and extends north along Route 17 to the junction of Route 17 and Route 2 in Dixfield. Work on that project was to begin Monday.

Crews will be shimming the road to provide a smoother, more level surface, then putting down a three-quarter inch thick layer of new pavement, Nash said. “Drivers should expect alternating one-way traffic in the immediate vicinity of the paver,” he said.

The Wilton-Farmington project, which Nash anticipates will start up in early September, begins at Bryant Road in Wilton and extends east along Route 2 to Oak Street in Farmington.

“We’re going to be milling off about one and one-half inches of the existing pavement to prepare for a new paved surface,” he said. “We’ll also be updating roadside guardrail and replacing some of the damaged bituminous curbing.”

“We’ll be maintaining at least one lane of traffic in each direction between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.,” he explained. “Additionally, no work or lane closures will be allowed Sept. 3, 4 or 5 out of respect for the holiday weekend traffic on Route 2.”

Nash urged drivers to slow down as they approach either work area and to proceed with care and caution. “It’s for the safety of the driver and any passengers they may have as well as for the safety of the construction workers,” he said.

The Maine DOT contract covering both projects, awarded to Pike Industries of Lewiston, on a bid of just over $1 million, calls for completion of work on both projects by the end of October.