AUGUSTA — A bill that came about because a local business was disrupted by a road project has been approved for consideration when the Legislature reconvenes in January.

State Rep. Wayne Werts, D-Auburn, appealed an earlier rejection of a bill that aims to prevent unnecessary hardships on businesses near Maine Department of Transportation construction projects.

The bill directs the MDOT to contact local businesses near a planned construction project to help limit any negative impact on the business.

Werts was contacted recently by Remco Radiator and Auto Care, an Auburn company that said it lost business because of two construction projects on its street at the same time.

According to Werts, the business lost valuable drive-by business and several appointments were canceled when drivers could not find an alternative route.

“Steps should have been taken to prevent this,” said Werts, a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation. “With proper planning, we can prevent this from happening again.”

Remco’s Debra York said the bill would be good for small businesses.

“If the state had notified me of the construction project in advance, I would have taken steps to notify my customers,” York said earlier this month. “I could have posted alternative directions on my company’s Facebook page and warned customers to allow for extra travel time to make their appointment on time.”

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