Interstate 95 In NH & Maine Could Be A Parking Lot For Years

Bridge work & a new toll plaza likely to cause major headaches for years to come.

Fresh off a summer full of typical traffic snarls, the seacoast is getting a reprieve from miles of backups. However, looking ahead to future construction projects, it's going to get a lot worse.

First reported by Seacoast Online, two construction projects are on the horizon for an already busy section of Interstate 95. Beginning in the spring of 2019, the Piscataqua River Bridge connecting New Hampshire to Maine will see major renovations. Among them, the re-paving of all six lanes and replacing traffic barriers.

Less than 10 miles from that major project, construction on the new toll plaza in York will commence around the same time. Each project is expected to last close to three years.

Maine Turnpike Authority spokeswoman Erin Courtney commented to Seacoast Online about the York project, “We are planning to maintain three lanes of traffic throughout the duration of the construction.” “We don’t have any reduced lanes planned, so that should help to keep traffic moving. That being said, it will be an active construction zone.”

This, as traffic continues to break records. According to Seacoast Online, 2018 saw a 5.3 percent rise in traffic from last year. From Friday through Labor Day, there were 1,115,479 transactions recorded. Over the same four-day period last year, there were 1,059,265 transactions.