FREEPORT AND BRUNSWICK - The Maine Department of Transportation is making improvements to I-295 in Freeport and Brunswick. This project affects both sides of the interstate. The work area begins just north of Exit 22 and extends north for approximately six miles. On-site work began in late May, but crews are now beginning to implement lane shifts and will be installing concrete barriers over the next week to protect workers. Both northbound and southbound lanes of traffic are being shifted away from the interstate median. Contractors are working in three-mile-long segments. Work is beginning at the southern end of the project limits and will progress northward over the coming months. Much of this construction is being done during the day. Drivers need to pay extra attention to workers as well as trucks entering and exiting the work site during daytime hours. The Exit 22 and 24 northbound on-ramps will experience slow and stopped traffic. Throughout these work zones, travel lanes and shoulders will be narrower and speed limits will be reduced to 45 mph. This work involves making improvements to the interstate passing lane pavement, reconstructing the shoulders and median, improving highway drainage, and installing new guardrail. The contractor on this project is Shaw Brothers of Gorham. The contract amount is $16 million. All work is scheduled to be finished by mid-December.