City Of Portland: Additional Baxter Boulevard Traffic Impacts Starting September 7

Press release from the City of Portland:

August 27, 2021

The nearby sewer separation project on Ocean Avenue is nearing completion and should be wrapped up in November. Ocean Avenue will still be down to one lane during the day (approximately 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM) while they do construction work using flaggers. However, starting August 30, the road will be open to two-way traffic on nights and weekends.    

The Back Cove West Storage Conduit project is being constructed by Sargent Corporation. The project is progressing with the installation of storage pipe towards Vannah Avenue. To continue with the construction progress, more of Baxter Boulevard needs to close.  

Motorists should watch for the Variable Message Boards and detour signs and drive slowly through and around work zones to ensure your safety and the safety of the project staff. For this closure, please plan to seek alternate routes to ensure minimal disruption. 

This project is one of the City’s latest sewer separation projects to prevent combined sewer overflows into Back Cove. The work to reduce overflows is part of the City’s agreement with the U.S. EPA to reduce and eliminate the flow of combined waste being discharged. A combined sewer system transports wastewater from home, industries, and businesses, as well as storm water collected from streets, parking lots, roofs, and yards to the East End Wastewater Treatment Plant. A combined sewer overflow occurs when the combined sewer capacity is overwhelmed during heavy rain events and a mix of sewer and storm water is discharged into Back Cove.

The work involves the installation of a 2.25-million-gallon storage conduit with the construction of 1,700 linear feet of 8-foot by 20-foot precast concrete box conduit and 2,133 feet of 60” sewer pipe. The project also involves new diversion structures, local sewers and storm drainage improvements. Installation of drainage outfalls that discharge into Back Cove, water main replacement in Dartmouth Street, utility work within the intersection of Forest Avenue and Dartmouth Street.

The project schedule and related graphics can be found on the Public Works Projects website. 

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If there are any questions or concerns, please contact the Nathaniel Smith, Project Engineer, at 207-874-8818 or nhs@portlandmaine.gov.

This press release was produced by the City of Portland. The views expressed here are the author’s own.