I talked about the dangers of moose on the road this time of year a couple of weeks ago and it’s a warning that bears repeating.

Late Tuesday night, Kirk Sirois, of Norridgewock and his passenger, Sandra Shaw, of Madison, died when their vehicle struck a dead moose and then slammed into the rear of a tractor trailer. Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland said the crash took place in the southbound lanes of Interstate 95 in Howland about 10 p.m.

Troopers said the Jeep Wrangler Sirois was driving struck the remains of the moose at Mile 215 and the vehicle then swerved into the breakdown lane and into the rear of a tractor trailer. The big rig had initially struck and killed the animal and had pulled to the side of the road. Troopers said a second vehicle also struck the remains and ended up off the road, but no one was injured in that vehicle.

State police said there has been a rash of moose collisions along the interstate around Medway during the past month and the Maine Department of Transportation has had message boards in the area warning motorists to lookout for the animals. This is the second fatal moose collision in Maine this year. On Memorial Day weekend, a woman was killed when her car struck a moose on Interstate 95 just north of Medway.

State police remind motorists this is the time of year when moose are on the move. In addition to the moose collisions in northern Maine, these has also been dozens of collisions with the animals along the Maine Turnpike in southern Maine.

Motorists need to be extra cautious, especially at night when it’s difficult to see the animals. If a collision is imminent, hitting the animal at an angle will likely deflect the body away from a car’s passenger compartment.

Western Avenue after dark

The cover of darkness isn’t slowing down the ongoing work at the Augusta Crossing site, where construction continues on the city’s newest soon-to-be shopping center.

Motorists traveling east and west on Western Avenue near the eastbound Interstate 95 exit ramps and the vicinity of the Kennebec Journal building should use extra caution after dark.

Street crews are working beneath temporary floodlights to widen the street and install new median strips in the area of Western Avenue that will provide a new access route to the shopping center.

Be sure to watch out for flagmen on the street and smaller construction vehicles working near or on the roadway.

Coffee time

I don’t know about you, but when I’ve been driving all night and my hand’s wet on the wheel, I need something besides the dose of Radar Love that Golden Earring recommended in their 1973 road song epic.

Instead, I need the kind of caffeine, make-my-eyeballs-pop-out kind of blast that I get from 16 ounces of pipin’ hot, black high-test java.

I prefer Starbucks and they’re located at rest stops spaced about 24 miles apart on I-90 east and west in upstate New York. Alas, we have not had that option in Maine...UNTIL NOW!

This week, the Maine Turnpike service plazas in Cumberland and Gray reopened after an eight-month upgrade and now features a Starbucks coffee shop to match the one that opened earlier this year at the service plazas in Kennebunk.

The last jewel in the Starbucks triple crown will be added in 2008 when the new service place in West Gardiner opens for business. It will be accessible by Interstate 295 travelers and those on the Maine Turnpike.

Bring your travel mug on opening day and tell ‘em to fill ‘er up.

Road work ahead

In the meantime, you’ll have to get your coffee wherever you can as you keep your eyes open for these latest construction projects in the area.

The Maine Department of Transportation is warning drivers using Route 126 in Washington to expect to encounter work crews for the next several weeks.

“We’re going back to Branch Bridge, which carries Route 126 over Davis Brook just north of the Jefferson-Washington town line, to continue repairs we started last winter,” said Mike Eldridge, road bridge manager for the state DOT. “Work will begin during the week of June 25 and continue for about eight weeks depending on the weather.”

Last winter, the state completed extensive repairs to the concrete bridge superstructure and wing walls and installed a new bridge railing system.

“During that work, we noticed extensive deterioration in the concrete bridge deck,” Eldridge said. “But deck repairs are easier to do and more cost effective in warmer weather, so we postponed that work until this summer.

Eldridge says during the current project, vehicles will be limited to a single lane of traffic. Drivers approaching the bridge will encounter signs directing them to “Stop” and “Proceed When Clear.”

“The real key is for drivers to come to a full stop at the stop sign and make sure the bridge is clear of oncoming traffic before proceeding,” he said. “If everyone obeys the posted signs, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

Elsewhere, 50-mph speed zones remain in effect at mile 99.2 on the Maine Turnpike as work continues on the Cobbosseecontee Bridge.

Vanity plate of the week

This one was spotted on the back of a newish silver Volvo that’s got to be owned by a local banker. His plate? C4ALOAN

Keep your hands on the wheel,
aj