BRUNSWICK — Brunswick’s long-awaited Cook’s Corner connector road is expected to open next week, according to town officials.
The 1,500-foot road, linking Brunswick Landing’s Admiral Fitch Avenue to Gurnet Road will open Sept. 12 under the name “Landing Drive,” Town Manager John Eldridge told the town council Tuesday.
The town received many Navy-influenced name suggestions, he said, including “everything from admirals to commodores, squadrons, planes,” but they ultimately went with the simple suggestion of Landing Drive. “If you have to get to Brunswick Landing, take Landing Drive,” Eldridge said.
The traffic signals are being tested and are on flash mode for now. Once the road is open, the contractor will be removing sections of Forestal Drive at both ends of the road, he said.
Landing Drive creates another access to Brunswick Landing, potentially alleviating some of the traffic congestion in Cook’s Corner.
Construction began in late November. The road has three 11-foot-wide travel lanes, a 5-foot-wide bicycle lane on both sides of the road, and 6-foot-wide sidewalk with a 6-foot esplanade on either side, The Times Record reported last year. Bidding for the contract came in at $2.2 million, lower than the estimated $2.5 million project cost. With a $200,000 contribution from the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority and about $815,850 from the Maine Department of Transportation via a Business Partnership Initiative grant, the town is footing about $1.2 million.
The road creates more development opportunities at the former Naval base and has been a priority for the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority ever since officials developed their plan for reviving the site, according to Executive Director Steve Levesque. Growth at Brunswick Landing has outpaced original estimates, and Levesque estimates that there will be 2,000 people employed at the landing by next year.
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