Some ambitious roadwork and construction projects are nearing for residents of Windham and Raymond.
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| Varney's Bridge on William Knight Road over the Pleasant River in Windham will be replaced by the Maine Department of Transportation this summer at a cost of $2 million as part of MDOT's Three Year Plan. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE |
MDOT’s Three-Year Plan is released annually with an outline of the Maine Department of Transportation’s strategy for road, bridge and other transportation upgrades and maintenance projects.
According to the Maine DOT, this year’s three-year work plan makes a historic $4.8 billion investment in construction and maintenance of transportation infrastructure across the state. It includes 2,716 individual work items for the calendar years 2025, 2026 and 2027.
In 2025 and 2026, the Maine DOT will undertake numerous projects to improve transportation in Senate District 26, including significant investments in paving, safety improvements and planning for expanded transit and pedestrian access across Windham and neighboring communities.
Additionally, there will be improvements to the Frye Island Ferry Service in Raymond.
“As Chair of the Transportation Committee, I’m proud to see meaningful investments coming to the communities I represent,” Nangle said. “Whether it’s paving roads in Windham or improving transit planning in Westbrook, this work plan helps strengthen the connections our families, businesses and towns rely on every day.”
The following are planned capital and maintenance work by MDOT for communities in Senate District 26 in 2025:
Bridge and Structural Maintenance
** Varney’s Bridge: Located on William Knight Road over the Pleasant River. Bridge Replacement.
** Windham [and Gorham]: Great Falls #1 (Long) Bridge (#6210) over the Presumpscot River, located 0.04 of a mile east of the Gorham town line, and Great Falls #2 Bridge (#1529) over the Presumpscot River, located on the Gorham-Windham town line.
** Windham: Pleasant River Bridge (#2676) over the Pleasant River, located 0.16 of a mile north of Hall Road.
Ferry
** Raymond and Frye Island: Capital improvements to the Frye Island Ferry Service between Raymond and Frye Island.
Highway Construction/Rehabilitation
** Windham: Beginning 0.45 of a mile west of Outpost Drive, and extending west 0.14 of a mile, including the roundabout intersection with Route 202.
Highway Paving
** Windham: Beginning at Depot Street and extending north 0.74 of a mile.
Highway Safety and Spot Improvements
** Windham: Beginning 0.01 of a mile south of Swett Road and extending north 0.57 of a mile.
Maine Department of Transportation Commissioner Bruce A. Van Note said that development of a plan of this scope is a complicated endeavor.
“Over the course of months, skilled public servants with hundreds of years of combined experience analyze asset management needs, the availability and use limitations of various funding sources, policy priorities, stakeholder input, project delivery capacity, supplemental funding needs for existing projects, and finally the addition of new work and projects,” he said. “I am humbled to work with the talented and dedicated people who embrace one of the toughest jobs you’ll ever love.”
Of all these tasks, estimating available funding may be the most humbling, Van Note said.
“Until recently, MaineDOT was largely forced into ‘MacGyver mode,’ using flagging dedicated revenues from fuel taxes and vehicle fees and general obligation bonding to do the best we could with what we had, which resulted in us competently managing the slow decline of the transportation system,” he said. “This challenge was exacerbated by historic construction cost increases over the last six years, as evidenced by the 70-percent increase in the national construction price index. This inflation resulted in the need for significantly more funding just to do an inadequate level of work. Thankfully, bipartisan policy action at both the federal and state levels in recent years has allowed MaineDOT to pivot from making do to making progress.”
View the entire 2025-2026-2027 Three-Year MDOT Work Plan at www.mainedot.gov. <
“As Chair of the Transportation Committee, I’m proud to see meaningful investments coming to the communities I represent,” Nangle said. “Whether it’s paving roads in Windham or improving transit planning in Westbrook, this work plan helps strengthen the connections our families, businesses and towns rely on every day.”
The following are planned capital and maintenance work by MDOT for communities in Senate District 26 in 2025:
Bridge and Structural Maintenance
** Varney’s Bridge: Located on William Knight Road over the Pleasant River. Bridge Replacement.
** Windham [and Gorham]: Great Falls #1 (Long) Bridge (#6210) over the Presumpscot River, located 0.04 of a mile east of the Gorham town line, and Great Falls #2 Bridge (#1529) over the Presumpscot River, located on the Gorham-Windham town line.
** Windham: Pleasant River Bridge (#2676) over the Pleasant River, located 0.16 of a mile north of Hall Road.
Ferry
** Raymond and Frye Island: Capital improvements to the Frye Island Ferry Service between Raymond and Frye Island.
Highway Construction/Rehabilitation
** Windham: Beginning 0.45 of a mile west of Outpost Drive, and extending west 0.14 of a mile, including the roundabout intersection with Route 202.
Highway Paving
** Windham: Beginning at Depot Street and extending north 0.74 of a mile.
Highway Safety and Spot Improvements
** Windham: Beginning 0.01 of a mile south of Swett Road and extending north 0.57 of a mile.
Maine Department of Transportation Commissioner Bruce A. Van Note said that development of a plan of this scope is a complicated endeavor.
“Over the course of months, skilled public servants with hundreds of years of combined experience analyze asset management needs, the availability and use limitations of various funding sources, policy priorities, stakeholder input, project delivery capacity, supplemental funding needs for existing projects, and finally the addition of new work and projects,” he said. “I am humbled to work with the talented and dedicated people who embrace one of the toughest jobs you’ll ever love.”
Of all these tasks, estimating available funding may be the most humbling, Van Note said.
“Until recently, MaineDOT was largely forced into ‘MacGyver mode,’ using flagging dedicated revenues from fuel taxes and vehicle fees and general obligation bonding to do the best we could with what we had, which resulted in us competently managing the slow decline of the transportation system,” he said. “This challenge was exacerbated by historic construction cost increases over the last six years, as evidenced by the 70-percent increase in the national construction price index. This inflation resulted in the need for significantly more funding just to do an inadequate level of work. Thankfully, bipartisan policy action at both the federal and state levels in recent years has allowed MaineDOT to pivot from making do to making progress.”
View the entire 2025-2026-2027 Three-Year MDOT Work Plan at www.mainedot.gov. <
