Overnight Drivers on I395 in Brewer Should Plan for Exit Closures

Motorists traveling overnight on I-395 this week will want to be prepared for the closures of the Exit 6 ramps.

Brewer Police say the closures will happen all week, between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Crews working on the Wilson Street Bridge, which stretches over the interstate, need to stop traffic on those ramps, temporarily. At this point, it appears as if the exits will reopen for the weekend. Exit 6A and 6B are the access ramps to Wilson Street, from the very end of I-395. Brewer Police say the detours will be clearly marked, but drivers can plan to use exit 5, instead, and access Wilson Street via Parkway South in Brewer. Motorists might want to allow a little extra time to get to their destination, as they will be traveling through Wilson Street stoplights.

The replacement of the bridge is the first phase of the controversial I-395/Route 9 connector project. Many residents and businesses have voiced concerns about the development, that they say will route traffic around the Wilson Street business district, and through residential neighborhoods. While that may be good news for truckdrivers, who would rather not navigate city streets and deal with traffic lights, it could be bad news for local businesses who might lose their patronage.

After four years of planning, including town hall meetings to get feedback from the public, the Wilson Street bridge project began in August of last year and was originally expected to be completed by November. A delay, causes when two workers were injured in a fall, could set that deadline back. . Garrett Mulligan and Darren Pelletier fell 20 feet from a support platform in October of 2020. Work was temporarily suspended while the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated.