DURHAM - Route 9 is expected to be closed between Royalsborough Road (Route 136) and Pinkham Brook Road (Route 125) in Durham for as long as two weeks while the Maine Department of Transportation replaces a culvert that failed at Dyer Brook.

Detoured traffic should use Route 136 and Route 125 in Durham and Freeport. The total detour length for through traffic using state roads is approximately 17 miles, though there are shorter detours that use local roads. MaineDOT has installed message boards to notify drivers of the closure and detour.

The department was notified of the culvert failure at approximately 2:00 p.m. yesterday. MaineDOT crews responded to the scene and ultimately closed the road to all traffic at 7:00 p.m.

Upon closer inspection by MaineDOT engineers, it appears that several factors led to this culvert failure. Recent rainfall elevated the water level of the brook while also softening the sandy embankment near the road. Additionally, it appears there was part of a beaver dam blocking the culvert. When water couldn't adequately pass through the culvert, it began to erode the sandy fill and eventually punctured a seam in the culvert. This caused a segment of the culvert to collapse, further weakening the embankment.

The culvert that failed had a diameter of six feet. We will be replacing it with a culvert that is 15 feet wide and 10 feet tall at its highest point. This replacement culvert will improve the resilience of the infrastructure and be able to accommodate a 100-year storm event. It will also accommodate fish passage underneath Route 9. We estimate the cost of this culvert replacement to be between $300,000 and $500,000.