AUGUSTA — Construction crews and concrete forms are giving shape to a new headquarters for the Maine National Guard in a formerly wooded area between Civic Center Drive and the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
They’ll soon be joined by more contractors for a state Department of Transportation project to create a new, four-way intersection with a traffic signal on Civic Center Drive at Darin Drive. The to-be-realigned Blue Star Avenue will provide access to the cemetery, new Guard headquarters, the Comfort Inn motel and Ninety Nine Restaurant.
The new intersection is needed to accommodate the expected increase in traffic in the already busy commercial area.
The new Army and Air Guard headquarters is expected to put an additional 208 vehicles on Civic Center Drive during the peak morning commute and 200 during the peak evening commute, according to a traffic study submitted as part of the Augusta Planning Board’s approval process for the 100,000-square-foot, two-story building.
Construction of the new headquarters began last August and is expected to be complete in the fall of 2017, according to Lt. Col. Norm Michaud.
Construction of the new intersection will go out to bid next month and likely start in July, according to Brian Keezer, project manager for the state Department of Transportation. He said it should be complete this fall, though contractors may need to return next spring to finish up loaming and other detail work.
Officials hope to improve safety in the area with the new intersection and another change to the Interstate 95 southbound offramp nearby.
The new headquarters will be named Camp Chamberlain after former Maine governor, adjutant general and Civil War hero Joshua L. Chamberlain.
It will be home to senior Army National Guard and Air National Guard personnel specializing in human resources, intelligence, operations, logistics, resource guidance and support to the major commands in the Maine National Guard, according to Maj. Norman J. Stickney, public affairs officer.
Camp Keyes, the Guard’s current headquarters, will remain open. Guard operations to remain at Camp Keyes will include family and veterans outreach services, ground maintenance support, printing plant operations, training sites and resource management, shipping and receiving, and facilities maintenance.
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