JEFFERSON - The Maine Department of Transportation reopened Route 17 in Jefferson to traffic last night at approximately 6:30 p.m. The road had been closed east of Route 32 (near Peaslee's Quick Stop) following a February 21st culvert collapse. This road closure required an 11-mile traffic detour.

Department contracting partners at T Buck Construction of Turner completed the work one week ahead of schedule. The new culvert is bigger than the one that collapsed to increase the resiliency of the infrastructure. This new culvert has an expected service life of 100 years. The amount of the construction contract that involved this work is $1,496,111.

MaineDOT would like to thank everyone who helped accelerate the timeline on this important job. We would also like to thank the members of the traveling public for their patience and understanding.