As if driving in downtown Portland was confusing and irritating enough, the City of Portland is rolling out a massive construction project this week that will add to your stress. Portland is going to attempt to replace storm drains and aging sewer systems in the hopes that the city can avoid flooding near the Back Cove area. Some people may remember the photos of cars driving through feet of water in the past.

But in order to make the improvements, the city will be forced to close major arteries for a substantial amount of time, which is likely going to cause traffic snarls and leave motorists a little hot under the collar during the summer months.

Preble Street extension will see construction begin on July 24th. Construction will take place between 7pm and 7am, not affecting those who have a typical workday. That project is expected to take 3 weeks.

Simultaneously, there will be work done on State Street extension (also going to be night work) that will last roughly 2 months. In both cases of the night work, crews will map out suitable detours.

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John Rodriguez
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But there won't be a detour for the biggest part of this construction project. On August 10th, work will begin on State Street to replace gas and water mains, improve the drainage systems and eventually repave a street that badly needs it. Because of the large amount of work that needs to be done, State Street will be closed to the public during construction. Yes, the major artery that leads to the million dollar bridge and South Portland will be closed for the majority of the summer and the fall. Completion of the State Street portion of the project is expected to take until the end of December.

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