Reconstruction of Route 114 in Gorham will smooth the way for drivers, but people who live along the road are worried it will also lead to more speeding and make it dangerous for people who are turning onto the road.

R.J. Grondin & Sons of Gorham is rebuilding seven miles, from Gorham Village to Standish, of what’s known locally as Fort Hill Road. The Maine Department of Transportation project will straighten curves and lower the height of hills that obstruct what drivers can see in some places, making a country road safer for motorists.

Without pavement in places while work is underway, the surface is gravel and rough in places, but completion is set for November. “It’s pretty well ripped up right now,” said Dean Lessard of the Maine Department of Transportation.

However, the finished highway is only a few months away. A worried resident, Peter Loughlin, believed the completed road would be safer for commuters but not for homeowners.

“It looks like I-95,” said Loughlin, as he eyed big dump trucks at work. “Traffic will move faster.”

Besides daily commuters, the road serves as a major route from the turnpike to the west side of Sebago Lake for boaters and tourists. Loughlin said motorists are speeding now at night and on Sundays when construction crews aren’t there, even over unpaved sections of the road. Loughlin said the construction company sprays water on the unpaved areas to hold down road dust.

Another resident, Tim Plummer, said it’s a well-traveled road that he believes will be safer. Plummer has seen a big traffic increase in the seven years he and his family have lived on Fort Hill Road. “Traffic is a huge issue,” Plummer said. “I feel the project was necessary.”

Plummer said hills are being lowered, improving visibility. Although he doesn’t like being awakened at 6:30 a.m. by the slamming and banging of tailgates of construction trucks, he endures it.

“I’d rather have a little inconvenience rather than have someone killed,” Plummer said.

However, Loughlin fears walking across the road or pulling out from his driveway will become more dangerous. Reconstruction has lowered the road in front of his home and he now exits on a slope down to the road. The new road is not safer for residents, Loughlin said.

“I have a problem with people leaving here,” Loughlin said. “They can’t see better.”

Plummer agreed with Loughlin that drivers are speeding now but believed exiting his yard would be safer because of the work. “It’s not going to be a little, windy country road any more,” Plummer said.

Critics have claimed that cutting back trees has ruined the beauty along the road. Tree branches once formed a canopy over the road.

But a multitude of trees have been cut to widen the swath for the road. Last year, another Fort Hill Road resident, Mike Nobel, lost a battle with the state to save a century-old oak in his front yard from chain saws.

Now, Loughlin and Plummer are both concerned about damage to trees in front of their homes from blasting and excavation. Loughlin said roots of a tall pine near the road have been cut and dynamite shook his trees.

Because of root damage, Plummer questioned whether a pair of 100-year-old maples wedged between utility wires and his antique cape home would survive. He said it would cost him $2,000 each, if they needed to be cut down.

Plummer said the construction crew has been accommodating. He said the construction flag people help him exit his driveway when traffic, reduced to a single lane, is backed up.

Construction began last September. Lessard said the $6.6 million project is a few hundred thousand dollars over budget. Provided there are no unexpected delays, Lessard believed the project would wind to a close between Nov. 15 and 30. He said a typical penalty of $500 to $1,000 for each day construction exceeds a completion date is an incentive to be on time.