Sacrifice for the public good is a high-minded concept that's often hell on those doing the sacrificing. And if all goes as planned, a project to close and repave southbound Interstate 295 between Gardiner and Topsham during three months this summer will indeed benefit the greater public -- but require significant sacrifice by both motorists and those living along U.S. Route 201 onto which traffic will be detoured.

The problem is that the concrete along that section of Interstate 295 is unexpectedly deteriorating. State Department of Transportation staff say that motorists driving that portion of the road are at risk of harm if the concrete crumbles under their vehicles. It's not an issue unique to Maine -- roadways across the country are breaking down because of an unforeseen chemical reaction in the materials used in the concrete mix.

Rather than do what has been the custom in Maine's major highway reconstruction projects -- keep one lane open while the others are worked on -- state transportation officials say it's 90 percent likely that they'll shut down the entire section of southbound Interstate 295 between June 15 and Aug. 31.

Full closure allows workers to get the job done quickly and with less exposure to traveling motorists who pose a safety risk to laborers, say officials, who estimate it would take three years of partial seasonal closures to get the job done. They admit that the idea of a complete closure came as a surprise even to them, until they weighed the advantages and disadvantages and realized that a short burst of activity, with contractors working day and night, seven days a week, would be preferable even with the challenges posed by detouring the 13,600 vehicles a day that normally travel that section of road.

But with the quicker timeline, the residents of the approximately 400 homes whose driveways open onto on U.S. Route 201 between Gardiner and Topsham are unlikely to be happy with the project. That's because the road in front of their homes will be traveled daily by approximately half of the thousands of vehicles forced off of the southbound lanes of I-295 between those two cities -- the other half are expected to take the Maine Turnpike. Normally, the Department of Transportation estimates that approximately 2,400 vehicles travel U.S. Route 201 southbound daily between Gardiner and Topsham; during the project, state engineers estimate that number will increase to 10,600 per day.

And drivers who want to head south on the section of I-295 between Gardiner and Topsham will not be happy, either, as the detour will require them to take the Maine Turnpike (longer, and a toll road) or the two lane, rural U.S. Route 201(also longer, but not a toll road).

Maine Department of Transportation staff have been working hard to anticipate problems from the detour onto U.S. Route 201. They plan to manage and post the road as if it were a work zone, with slower speeds and temporary streetlights at intersections. They will assign a roving patrol vehicle to the route, which will respond to motorists in need of help. They promise to conduct an aggressive informational campaign about the closure and alternate routes, and to remain flexible if the detour plans cause unexpected problems.

No one can say that those unexpected problems will not arise. And local residents along U.S. Route 201 are right to be concerned about the increased traffic as well as its effects on safety. Children who live along the road will likely have to be told to curtail their bicycling this summer; that's a loss. Area residents will be inconvenienced when they want to make a left turn and have to face a line of unexpected traffic. Breakdowns may create backups.

But in the end, we agree with state transportation officials who determined that a short and not-so-sweet full closure would be preferable to a multiyear repair project for Interstate 295. And like the old sage who suggested that those with lemons make lemonade, we suspect there are at least a few homeowners along U.S. Route 201 contemplating the possibility of finally clearing out the garage -- with one very big yard sale to entice all that extra traffic.