PARIS — Poor signage on a detour around construction on Route 119 between Hebron and South Paris resulted in at least a dozen complaints and plenty of disoriented drivers Monday. 

The road is expected to remain closed until next Monday, Aug. 19, according to Maine Department of Transportation spokesperson Ted Talbot.

Drew Corp. of Lovell was contracted by Maine DOT to replace an 8-by-12-foot culvert that directs Twitchell Brook under the road. 

Drivers on Monday morning noticed numerous “road closed” and “find alternate route” signs leading up to the work site from both sides, but no clear detour was indicated. Many vehicles drove directly up to the “road closed” sign before they were forced to turn around.

According to Talbot, detour signs are in place on state roads, including Route 121 and Route 11 in Minot, Route 124 in Hebron and Mechanic Falls and Route 117 and Route 26 in Paris. 

By 2 p.m., the road closed sign on the Paris side of Route 119 had been moved farther up, forcing drivers to take East Oxford Road or turn around.

After a selectmen’s meeting Monday, Paris Town Manager Amy Bernard said the town had received at least a dozen complaints about the lack of clear signage for the detour. 

The lack of proper directions resulted in some property damage late Monday afternoon when a tractor-trailer truck inadvertently drove onto private yards in an effort to turn around after being confronted with a “road closed” sign in the area of 201 Hebron Road, according to Paris fire Chief Brad Frost. 

Frost said the truck took down cable and put deep ruts in people’s yards.

Lawrence Reid, who lives on Brook Road, off Route 119, said he had to give two drivers directions Monday because they did not know how to get around the construction.

Speaking at the selectmen meeting, Reid said someone, even if it was the town, needed to take responsibility for signing the detour properly. 

The closure of Route 119 puts Paris emergency workers at a disadvantage, because there are few other alternatives to reach residents in neighborhoods that have been cut off. 

During the selectmen meeting Monday, Bernard said Oxford and Hebron fire departments would be covering the area until the road was reopened. 

There are limited detour options for drivers traveling between Paris and Hebron. During a drive around the bypass Monday afternoon, one of the more popular routes appeared to be taking East Oxford Road south into Oxford, then Hebron Road north back to Route 119 in Hebron.

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