Two new bus stations in Auburn will facilitate increased service from Lewiston-Auburn to Portland, according to a news release by Gov. Paul LePage, who will announce the construction project Wednesday.

LePage will be joined at a news conference at Great Falls Plaza in Auburn by Maine Transportation Commissioner David Bernhardt, Auburn Mayor Jonathan LaBonte, Maine Turnpike Authority Director Peter Mills, Concord Coach Lines President Harry Blunt and Phil Nadeau, chairman of the Lewiston/Auburn Transit Committee.

Both bus stations – one at Great Falls Plaza, the other at Exit 75 of the Maine Turnpike – are scheduled for construction next year, with bus service anticipated to start in early 2017, according to the governor’s office. The bus stations will serve CityLink, the fixed-route service between Lewiston and Auburn, but also will allow for the creation of a new Lewiston-to-Portland route through Concord Coach Lines. That route will begin at Bates College in Lewiston and will stop at both new stations before continuing on to Portland.