Long midcoast traffic detour ending this month

The lengthy construction detour for southbound drivers on Route 1 in downtown Searsport will soon come to an end. Gordon Contracting, the company that’s running the $17.8 million construction project, said on Facebook on Tuesday that Route 1 will finally return to two-way traffic on July 26. That’s almost three months earlier than when officials had originally expected the detour to end. Gordon Contracting said that the overall project will wrap up by late November. It estimated that the work was about 70 percent complete as of June 28. The project is rebuilding and improving a two-mile stretch of Route 1 through downtown Searsport, from Savage Road to Station Avenue. It launched over a year ago, and after a hiatus during the winter, it resumed again in March. Since then, southbound drivers have had to take a five-mile detour away from the coast to get around the roadwork, although two-way traffic has been temporarily restored during some peak travel periods. “Work will continue throughout the project including a final surface paving of all roadways, sidewalks and drives from the beginning of the project to the end,” Gordon Contracting said in its Facebook announcement. Searsport-area residents rejoiced at the news. “That is wonderful and thank you for keeping us so well informed!” one person wrote in response to the Facebook post. “Excellent job!!” said another. “Who do we write at the state so you guys get all the contracts?”