AUGUSTA - The Maine Department of Transportation has now completed shifting Western Avenue (Route 202) traffic in Augusta to a temporary bridge. This is part of the ongoing work to replace the bridge that carries Western Avenue over I-95 at Exit 109. Through traffic is narrowed to two lanes: one eastbound lane and one westbound lane, with a third lane on the bridge specific to the westbound off-ramp traffic. Vehicles will continue to use the temporary bridge until the new permanent bridge is constructed and opened at the end of this year. The left-hand turn lane from Western Avenue onto Whitten Road is also closed. Westbound drivers who want to access Whitten Road can use the southbound interstate on-ramps to access the new connection between the interstate on-ramp and Whitten Road. The southbound Exit 109 off-ramp will remain closed for the foreseeable future. The existing Western Avenue bridge is approximately 70 years old. MaineDOT is replacing the structure with a new bridge on a similar alignment. The new bridge will provide additional vertical clearance on the interstate. It will also include sidewalks on both sides of the bridge and approximately 1,350 feet of new sidewalk along Western Avenue and Whitten Road to improve pedestrian access and safety. On-site construction for this project started in November 2023. All construction is scheduled to be done in June 2026. The contractor for this project is Reed & Reed, Inc. of Woolwich. The contract amount is approximately $30 million.