Decades In The Making: Maine’s I-395/Route 9 Corridor Finally Opens

What started as an ambitious and controversial idea in the late 1990s, to make it so you CAN "get there from here," at least when you're talking about connecting downeast Maine to I-395, is finally complete. The Maine DOT opened the I-395/Route 9 Corridor to traffic this past weekend.

Plans for the project were finalized a few years before the pandemic, with construction starting in January of 2022, according to Sargent Corporation, the company that won the bid to do the work.

The road that connects I-395 and Route 9 officially opened to the public with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, June 27th.

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The scale of this project has been pretty massive, at times impacting traffic on major roads along the route, including Eddington and Brewer.

According to the State of Maine's website, the aim of the project is to shorten commute times, improve safety, and support a more efficient transportation flow of resources and goods throughout the state.

"The I-395/Route 9 Connector is a $107 million project that will create a direct, six-mile link between I-395 and Route 9 in southern Penobscot County, eliminating the need for drivers to use Routes 1A, 46, and 9."

"Designed by MaineDOT engineers and awarded to Sargent in January 2022, the new road is built for 55 MPH travel and includes five bridges, two snowmobile crossings, and several wildlife and stream crossings. This project will improve traffic flow, safety, and the movement of goods while shifting a major highway route out of downtown Bangor and Brewer to better serve the region’s economy."

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Traffic along the route this weekend was pretty heavy, as folks explored the new route, satisfying their curiosity.

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