A two-block section of State Street in downtown Portland will be closed during daytime hours for about three weeks starting Wednesday, the city announced.

The busy one-way arterial carries commuter traffic south across the downtown, and the city is encouraging commuters to take alternative routes during the closure. It will be closed to allow for the installation of new utilities across State Street at Deering Street, including sewer lines, storm drains, a water main and a gas main.

On Tuesday, State Street will be reduced to one lane of traffic between Cumberland Avenue and Congress Street.

Starting on Wednesday, State Street will be closed daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. to all traffic between Cumberland Avenue and Congress Street. The daily closures are expected to last about three weeks. Crews plan to work Monday through Friday, but some weekend work may be required.

Traffic will be detoured either left or right at that intersection. The city is encouraging drivers to seek alternative routes before heading “up the hill” from Interstate 295 and Park Avenue.

Alternative routes include Forest Avenue, Deering Avenue and the Fore River Parkway for accessing the Casco Bay Bridge to South Portland.

Motorists who use State Street to travel from I-295 toward South Portland can continue south on the interstate to the South Portland exits.

State Street is a two-lane road that runs one way from Forest Avenue and I-295 past Longfellow Square to the Casco Bay Bridge. It is a busy arterial, especially in the afternoons when commuters head home to South Portland and Cape Elizabeth.

Traffic studies done for the city have found that about 1,200 vehicles travel the two-block section of State Street each hour during the peak afternoon commuting time.

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