Drivers navigate the roundabout at the Belvedere Road and Route 1 intersection in Damariscotta on Tuesday, Oct. 28. A Maine Department of Transportation representative said the department will open Belvedere Road to through traffic soon. (Ali Juell photo)
The roundabout at Route 1 and Belvedere Road in Damariscotta is nearly completed.
Andrew Gobeil, director of public information for Maine Department of Transportation, said on Tuesday, Oct. 21 the project’s contractor was working on final touches like planting and painting.
“Nearly everything will be done by the end of October,” Gobeil said in an email. “Light poles, which won’t be delivered until late next month, will be installed at that time, marking the completion of the project.”
The department plans to open the road with access to Belvedere Road and Route 1 at the end of this week or the next week, he said, depending on weather and the contractor’s progress.
According to Gobeil, the project’s cost is currently $3.4 million, coming in lower than the original $4 million estimate.
Dennis Emidy, of the Maine Department of Transportation’s safety office, previously told The Lincoln County News 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 construction of the roundabout is 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.
