MAINE, USA — For two years, construction was unavoidable when traveling along Route One in Searsport.

That construction is now gone and was replaced by protestors clashing on Tuesday morning, marking a turbulent beginning for a day of events highlighting projects funded in part by congressional dollars.

The updates to Route One cost nearly $18 million, with half of the funding provided by the federal government. Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, was scheduled to participate in a ribbon-cutting along the street to celebrate the end of construction.

However, dozens of protesters gathered ahead of time, chastising Collins and the current administration. The event was moved inside the Searsport Municipal Building, but protesters followed.

Searsport’s town manager and the acting commissioner

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