PORTLAND, ME (AP) With July 4 already past, the tourism season is under way in earnest. So is the highway construction season.

Beginning this week, some of southern Maine’s busiest highways will become one-lane headaches as repairs and improvements commence.

In southern Maine, the Department of Transportation will close lanes on Route 111 in Biddeford and Route 302 in Windham, delaying commuter and tourist traffic while workers complete ongoing projects on the busy highways.

And after July 12, lane closures will affect 4 mi. of Route 1 in Woolwich from the bridge by Taste of Maine restaurant to the Montsweag Flea Market.

"There’s only so many weeks in the construction season and, with our climate, obviously we’ve got to work somewhere," said Greg Nadeau, director of policy and communications at Maine Department of Transportation.

Route 302 is a major arterial for local commuters to Portland and tourists going to the Sebago Lake region. Route 1 through Woolwich is the state’s major coastal highway, funneling travelers to popular spots like Boothbay Harbor, Damariscotta and Rockland.

But the Route 302 work may be the biggest challenge because the highway carries such a heavy load of daily commuter traffic to Portland’s western suburbs.

No accidents have been reported in the construction zone.

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