By Nate Jones

Staff Writer 

Spend some time updating your vehicle’s GPS system: Interstate 295 south will not be accessible from the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge for the rest of the month.

 According to an announcement from the Maine Department of Transportation, or MDOT, southbound access must restricted to allow construction crews to build a new travel lane, one part of a $5.3 million upgrade to the roadway between Exit 3 and Exit 4 – including new travel lanes and a sound wall – in South Portland. 

“Anybody accustomed to using the Veteran’s Bridge to get on 295 – those folks will have to be attentive,” said South Portland Transportation Director Tom Myers. 

Myers said the construction will not affect the city’s bus service, but could result in additional traffic on Route 1 southbound, where vehicles will be directed after exiting the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge. Myers said the redirection could allow vehicles to get on Interstate 295 southbound at Exit 3, near the Maine Mall, until commuters are used to the shift.

“Some people are just going to be on autopilot, get to the end of the bridge and realize ‘Oh no, I can’t get on the interstate,’ ” he said. 

Maine Department of Transportation Spokesperson Mark Latti said drivers can avoid being routed onto Route 1 in South Portland by accessing Interstate 295 via the Fore River parkway in Portland, which allows access to Interstate 295 southbound lanes near the transportation terminal. 

Once completed, Latti said the construction should help alleviate congestion at Exit 4, where an estimated 9,000 drivers get on and off the interstate daily. He said construction is expected to be completed in September, when southbound access will reopen. Northbound traffic will not be affected during the construction, he said. 

Staff Writer Nate Jones may be reached at 282-4337 ext. 233.