A Washed Out Road In Western Maine Has Caused A 140 Mile Detour!

We've all heard the phrase "you can't get there from here", right?  Even if it was only said as a joke.  Anyone who has drive through rural Maine really understands the phrase.

There are plenty of places that, while they may only be a few miles apart, require a much longer drive because the roads do not go directly from point a to point b.

This has become painfully true for people in the Jackman, Maine area.

According to WMTW, parts of Route 6 / Route 15 in the Jackman area has washed out due to significant rainfall in the last few days.  A culvert that allowed water to flow under the road failed and, when it collapsed, it took a chunk of the roadway with it.  According to the Maine DOT, about 800 vehicles use this stretch of road on a daily basis.  Many of those vehicles are trucks.

There is good news, though.  The Department of Transportation has set up a detour.  That detour takes drivers down Route 201 to Bingham and Route 16 in Abbot.  Not a big deal, right?  Well, kind of...  The length of the detour is over 140 miles.  According to the WMTW article, that is about the distance from Portland to Providence!

Before anything can happen, the water needs to recede.  Once that happens, the DOT will evaluate the situation and decide how to proceed.  They do not know how long the road will be closed.

If you have friends or family who are planning to travel through the area, you may want to give them a heads up.