OTISFIELD — You just can’t get there from here.
That’s the message contractors at the Ridgefield Bridge project and homeowners on Gore Road want motorists who continue to drive up the closed road to understand.
The bridge is gone and there is no way to get to the other side.
Gore Road, a well-traveled shortcut between Route 121 in Oxford toward Otisfield and Route 117 in Norway toward the Harrison/Bridgton area, is shut down until early October.
Eric Rudolph, Maine Department of Transportation project resident, said the closure is necessary to replace Ridgefield Bridge over Greeley Brook.
The road, which was closed to local traffic two weeks ago, is open to local traffic 1.4 miles from the Oxford side and 3.4 miles from the Route 117 side in Norway.
Pam Cox, owner of the Greeley Brook Day Care at 274 Gore Road in Oxford, said Friday that signs are posted at both ends of Gore Road and at 1,000 feet and 500 feet from the construction site, but motorists still think they can get through.
“They keep coming up and having to turn around,” Cox said. “It’s like they can’t read, I guess. It’s a job that’s got to be done. Deal with it.”
Cox said the bridge lacked guardrails and became dangerous, especially during the winter.
The $545,000 project is being done by CPM Constructors of Freeport. The project includes replacing two 10-foot diameter culverts with a 45-foot-span bridge and a full guardrail system.
Rudolph said the crew came in on Aug. 3 to “set up shop,” and work is well underway. The crew has a 45-day permit to keep the road closed. It must be reopened no later than Oct. 3 or the contractor can face fines from the state.
Rudolph said the MDOT designed a detour that allows motorists access to Route 117 or 121 by driving down Route 26.
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