Vehicles travel through the intersection of Route 1 and Belvedere Road in Damariscotta. The Maine Department of Transportation is expecting to begin construction of a roundabout at the intersection around Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, according to Maine Department of Transportation Public Information Officer Damian Veilleux. (Piper Pavelich photo)
Construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Route 1 and Belvedere Road is expected to start around Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, according to Maine Department of Transportation Public Information Officer Damian Veilleux.
The one-lane roundabout project will cost approximately $4 million and will be about 150 feet in diameter, the largest size of single-lane roundabout that the department installs. Once vehicles enter the roundabout, they should not be able to travel around it at a speed greater than 20 mph.
The project is currently in the early stages of construction and is expected to be completed by November, Veilleux said. The contractor is Crooker Construction, of Topsham, who has been performing a flood resiliency renovation to Damariscotta’s municipal parking lot.
Veilleux noted that traffic in the area will be impacted during construction.
Traffic signals will be utilized to direct vehicles along Route 1, and Belvedere Road will be temporarily closed to those traveling west at the intersection.
Northbound Route 1 traffic will be allowed to turn east onto Belvedere Road; however, southbound traffic will not be allowed to turn east on Belvedere Road.
A rendering of the impact on traffic due to the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Route 1 and Belvedere Road in Damariscotta. Construction is expected to begin around Memorial Day, Monday, May 26 and end in November, according to the Maine Department of Transportation. (Courtesy photo)
Also, Belvedere Road will be temporarily operating as a one-way road for traffic traveling east to the intersection of Route 1B.
“Signage will be in place to alert drivers, reduce speeds and direct traffic appropriately if Belvedere Road is closed,” Veilleux said. “These traffic control measures are designed to maintain safety for both workers and the traveling public while allowing us to complete the project within a single construction season.”
The project has been nearly four years in the making, as the Maine Department of Transportation included the roundabout in the 2021 edition of its three-year work plan.
According to previous reporting by The Lincoln County News, Dennis Emidy, of the Maine Department of Transportation’s safety office, said the department identified the intersection as a high-crash location, meaning that it has seen eight or more crashes in a three-year period and an abnormal rate of crashes with critical injuries.
The preliminary plan for the roundabout was presented to the Damariscotta Select Board in November 2021. The town sent a letter supporting the roundabout to the Maine Department of Transportation in December 2021.
The construction of the roundabout now falls under traffic safety improvements included in the 2025 edition of the department’s three-year work plan. The work plan, which describes all projects slated for calendar years 2025-2027, includes over 2,700 work items across the state valued at $4.8 billion.
To view the 2025 edition of the Maine Department of Transportation’s three-year work plan, go to mainedot.gov.
