A new way to ease traffic is going into use this weekend.

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) will implement a new dynamic part-time shoulder use (PTSU) system for about three miles on Interstate 95 in conjunction with the Maine Department of Transportation and the Maine Turnpike Authority, according to the agencies. 

This change will be between Exit 5 in New Hampshire and Exit 3 in Maine, according to officials. 

The agencies will open this new lane of travel for the holiday weekend to study how it will affect traffic congestion during the expected busier period, according to WCVB. 

“If the congestion is happening northbound, NHDOT will go into our system and be able to turn on a green arrow over the shoulder so traffic knows you can use this part-time shoulder use,” said Susan Klasen, director of operations at NHDOT, to WCVB. 

NHDOT said it’s important that drivers pay attention to the traffic signals along these exits. There will be a red “X” symbol when the shoulder is only available for emergency stopping. 

NHDOT will be managing the northbound side of the system while the Maine Department of Transportation and Maine Turnpike Authority will manage the southbound side. 

The Maine State Housing Authority announced Thursday that it will be awarding $30 million in state subsidies for the development of affordable housing throughout the state.

This funding will be spread across six different localities — including Augusta, Bangor, Gardiner, Lewiston, Scarborough, and Waterville — and allow for the construction of 248 new housing units.

MaineHousing said in their press release that funding for these subsidies was “made possible” by a $17.5 million allocation made by the Legislature during the first session, as well as a $10 million allocation made as part of the recently approved supplemental budget.

The Maine State Housing Authority goes on to explain that by awarding these subsidies, it will allow for an additional $61 million worth of federal funding to be leveraged by the state as well.

“This funding announcement comes on the heels of five recently completed affordable housing developments in Maine, with a sixth celebrating its opening next week in Madison,” MaineHousing Director Daniel Brennan said in a Thursday statement.

“These funding awards are yet another clear example of the unparalleled support for affordable housing development that has been shown by Governor Mills and a bipartisan coalition of state lawmakers who have made the creation of safe, warm and affordable housing for all Maine people their priority,” said Brennan.

“I have always believed that a home is much more than just a roof over your head,” Gov. Janet Mills (D) said, “and with these new projects, we will make home a reality for hundreds more Maine families.”

“While there is more work to do, I am proud of this progress and of the funding that the Legislature and I provided to make it happen, and I thank MaineHousing for its continued work to create safe, comfortable, and affordable places to live for Maine people,” Gov. Mills wrote.

Three of the developments receiving a subsidy are targeted at older adults, while the other three are geared toward families.

Click Here to Read the Full Maine State Housing Authority Press Release

128 of the total units constructed as a result of this funding will be utilized as affordable senior housing, and the remaining 91 will be offered as affordable housing for families.

Total subsidy amounts range from $4 million for a family development in Gardner to $6 million for a senior housing project in Bangor.

The other two developments for older adults will be located in Lewiston and Augusta and received $5.4 million and $4.8 million respectively.

A Waterville family housing project was given $4.7 million, while the family development in Scarborough was granted a $5.4 million subsidy.

Click Here for More Details Regarding the Subsidies Awarded by MaineHousing

In March of this year, the Maine State Housing Authority announced that it would be financing the construction of 105 new affordable rental units in several towns throughout rural Maine.

These one- and two-bedroom units will be constructed in Hallowell, Newcastle, Rockport, Rumford, Sanford, and Waterville.

[ Maine State Housing Authority to Construct 105 New Affordable Housing Units in Rural Maine]

According to a press release published at the time by Mills, funding for this project came from the state’s biennial budget, as well as from the recently approved bond cap expansion.

LD 2209 — approved unanimously by lawmakers earlier this month — allows the Maine State Housing Authority to have an “aggregate principal amount outstanding” in “mortgage purchase bonds” of $3 billion — an increase of $850 million over the agency’s previous statutory limit.

Increasing the Housing Authority’s bonding capacity was intended to bring this limit into alignment with the state’s current housing production needs, according to testimony offered during the bill’s public hearing.

A five-run fourth inning helped Maine-Endwell rally for an 8-6 victory over Owego Free Academy in the deciding game of the Section 4 Class A baseball tournament Saturday at M-E.

Owego forced Saturday’s contest with an 11-1 win Friday, the Spartans’ first loss in the double-elimination tournament.

Liam Hadfield picked up the win Saturday. He went 6 1/3 innings and gave up four runs (three earned) on eight hits. He struck out five and walked five.

Owego scored three runs in the seventh inning before Preston Nezelek recorded a title-clinching strikeout with the bases loaded.

Ben Rollison was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs for Owego, which was looking to add a sectional title to its Southern Tier Athletic Conference championship.

Jack Hennessey hit a two-run double in the fourth to give M-E a 4-3 edge after Owego took a 3-1 advantage into the inning. Austyn Nyschot (2-for-4) followed with a two-run single.

The Spartans added two more runs in the third and two in the sixth to lead lead 8-3.

More: HS Baseball: Deposit-Hancock, Oneonta, Unatego/Franklin win Section 4 titles

Up Next

Maine-Endwell (18-5) will take on the Section 1 champion in a sub-regional at 6 p.m. May 30 at SUNY Purchase. If the Spartans win, they play the Section 1 champ at 4 p.m. June 1 at Union-Endicott in the regional final.