Motorists who rely on Route 127 (Middle Road) in Woolwich will face delays this summer from a planned large culvert replacement .9 of a mile north of Old Stage Road. Maine Department of Transportation anticipates the project will require a two-week road closure.

“The road closure was our biggest concern when we met to discuss the project,” Selectboard Chairman David King told Wiscasset Newspaper. “It’s going to mean there could be delays if we have to get an emergency vehicle to that part of town. We asked MDOT if they couldn’t keep one lane open to traffic during the construction and they told us, closing it would allow the work to get done much faster.”

To deal with the road closure, the board talked about keeping one of the town’s two ambulances at the North Station on Chopps Point Road. "After hearing from the fire chief we decided against doing this because it wouldn’t be saving first responders any additional time,” explained King.

Asked how the ambulance department will cope with the road closure, EMS Director Danny Evarts responded in an email, "Our current plan involves detouring from Old Stage Road onto Dana Mills Road for any calls north of the culvert replacement. This detour will add approximately five minutes to our ambulance response times to locations north of the job site, along middle and eastern Chopps Cross Road. While we expect increased traffic along River Road, we don't anticipate significant delays for calls on the west side of town along the river, or the western half of Chopps Cross Road.”

Selectman Jason Shaw said the town office received written MaineDOT notification of the culvert’s replacement in February. “My understanding is it will go out to bid in April with work to start sometime in the summer.” The letter from Project Manager Gary Libby states the road closure is expected to last about two weeks with traffic diverted to Indian Road and Route 128. The project is a little less than a mile north of Old Stage Road in a small gully where the road crosses a brook.  MaineDOT estimates the project will cost $1,030,000.  The work was initially to be part of road improvements carried out in 2024 when a different culvert was replaced a little further south on Route 127.     

MaineDOT is planning three other projects in Woolwich this year. They include re-painting the two-lane, Max L. Wilder Memorial Bridge spanning the Sasanona River linking Woolwich with Arrowsic. The estimated funding for the work is $7 million. Also planned is the rehabilitation of the railroad bridge on the Bath-Woolwich line, estimated funding $250,000. MaineDOT is also planning structural maintenance and paving on a small bridge spanning Nequasset Brook on Old Stage Road near the old meetinghouse for an estimated $143,172. 

 “We’ve yet to hear of any specific timelines on the other projects, or potential impacts on traffic flow,” Selectman Shaw said when asked for comment on the other three projects.