On Monday, June 20, traffic along Route 1 in Thomaston, relating to the Maine Department of Transportation's Route 1 reconstruction project, will return to two-way traffic.

Over the past several weeks crews have been working to meet the contracted deadline of reopening two lanes of traffic by June 20. Two-way traffic will continue until September.

From September through November, traffic flow may be reduced to 1 lane of alternating traffic.

The Thomaston Board of Selectmen recognizes the federally funded reconstruction of Route 1 will be an inconvenience for those living, working and traveling through Thomaston, according to a news release from the town.

The DOT, in conjunction with Thomaston, has been planning this project since 2000. Vehicle counts, recorded as late as last year, indicate that two lanes of traffic must be maintained between June 20 and Sept 9. Therefore, effective next week, two lanes will be maintained which should relieve the traffic congestion to some degree, the release said.

In 2011, MaineDOT began working with the Thomaston community through numerous public meetings to develop a plan to make improvements from approximately the Warren town line heading north to Fish Street. Improvements on this $8.4 million project include: rebuilding the road to make it safer, improving mobility with traffic calming designs, installing a new storm drain system, new sidewalks on both sides of the road, and improved crosswalks for much safer pedestrian use.

Ways to be up to date for traffic alerts: MaineDOT Thomaston Route 1 Project Alerts: Sign up for email alerts at mainedot.gov Facebook Page: Like the project on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/ThomastonProject