Opponents of a plan to relocate the Maine Turnpike toll plaza in York have launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for legal fees.

The group Think Again hopes to raise at least $10,000 to help meet legal costs of trying to block the move. According to the GoFundMe site, Think Again estimates it will need about $25,000 to cover legal costs and already has raised $14,600 separate from the online appeal.

The GoFundMe site was put up Wednesday and as of Friday night, nine people had contributed a total of $1,050.

According to the site, the group may try to get more funding from the town of York – which also opposes the toll plaza move – at a town meeting in May.

The Maine Turnpike Authority wants to build a new toll plaza, which would have high-speed lanes that allow drivers with electronic toll units in their cars to continue through the plaza at highway speeds, at a site about 1.5 miles north of the current location.

The authority said its site has better soils for construction, is at the crest of a hill for better visibility and is along a straight stretch of the turnpike, lessening engineering challenges.

Opponents favor a site about 400 feet north of the existing plaza. They say the plaza site 1.5 miles away would be within 2,000 feet of large subdivisions, while only few houses are near the site closer to the existing plaza.

They said moving the plaza further away would hurt property values because of the noise, particularly from air brakes on trucks slowing for the toll plaza.


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