TOPSHAM — Two drivers were taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries Thursday morning after a crash that closed busy Route 196 for hours.

Police said a 1995 Saturn driven by Ashlee A. Cleveland, 23, of Durham, crossed the centerline at 7:26 a.m. and struck a 2004 Suzuki Vitara driven by Lori J. Gates, 51, of Lisbon in the area near Old Lisbon Road.

Both women had to be extricated from their vehicles, according to a news release.

Cleveland was transported by LifeFlight to Central Maine Medical Center, where Gates was also taken.

Cleveland was in critical condition late Thursday afternoon, according to a CMMC spokesman. Information on Gates wasn’t available.

The crash closed one and sometimes both lanes on Route 196 for four hours. The road reopened just before noon.

The collision is being investigated by the Topsham and Bath police departments. and state police.