JAY — Much work remains to be done on the Route 4 project, but Senior Project Manager Doug Coombs said it is still on schedule.
Coombs, who was transitioning into a new position within the Maine Department of Transportation, gave an update at the Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls Chamber of Commerce meeting Friday.
“We’re in a little bit of a reorganization right now,” he said. “I’m not sure who will be filling my slot.”
The MDOT has been paving roads in the region in addition to working on Route 4. Paving has been done on Route 156 and Route 133, Coombs said, and reconstruction of the Route 2-Route 156 intersection in Wilton will start in about two weeks.
Coombs said the MDOT will realign the intersection to make it safer. He said Time magazine identified that particular intersection as one of the worst in the country.
Turning his attention to the Route 4 project, Coombs said it has been a “real challenge” to stay on schedule because of old infrastructure and not knowing where the water and sewer lines were buried.
“Most of these pipes out here are not detectable,” he said. “They’re old asbestos/cement pipes.”
The cement pipes are being replaced with plastic pipes that have tracer wires on them to allow road crews to detect them.
With new utilities in place, the section between Ouellette and Tweedie streets will see its first layer of pavement by Halloween. The rest of the paving will take place next year.
Paved sidewalks will be in place by the end of October. A set of signal lights soon will be put up to allow a retaining wall to be constructed.
In addition to information about the Route 4 project, the meeting allowed chamber members the opportunity to learn more about the Wilson Lake Inn from owners Susan Atwood and Tom Whalen. They purchased the 30-unit motor inn in 2004.
Atwood noted that the inn has two-bedroom suites for families, and a studio with two queen beds and a full kitchen. The first-floor rooms are smaller.
The inn was built in the 1950s.
“We’ve made a lot of changes,” Atwood said. They do a continental breakfast now, bringing in baked goods from local bakers.
“We’re a small facility, but we have a lot to offer,” Atwood said. “If it wasn’t for my staff, we wouldn’t be where we are. They care.”
The inn will host a business after-hours event Aug. 20. On its website, www.wilsonlakeinn.com, there are links to local chambers of commerce with information about area businesses. The inn has been awarded the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence five years in a row, and as a result has been inducted into Trip Advisor’s Hall of Fame.
bmatulaitis@sunmediagroup.net
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