WINDHAM – While little new information was learned concerning the River Road reconstruction project, a meeting this week between three officials from the Maine Department of Transportation and the Windham Town Council offered some insight into the project’s possible timeline, as well as into frustrations felt by Windham officials over its long delay.

“I mean no disrespect to any of you, I’m trying not to be angry, even though I am, or disrespectful,” Councilor Carol Waig told transportation officials. “However, I guess part of our major issue is that this project was in the hopper and ready to go. And then when this project got deferred, we got dumped. And then when it came back, we weren’t on the top of the list like we were prior to it getting deferred. And that’s where we are really all upset.”

Town officials and the public will have another chance to discuss the River Road project at a meeting Monday, March 15, 7-9 p.m., in the gymnasium at the Windham Town Hall at 8 School Road. That night, DOT officials will facilitate the first of many public meetings regarding River Road as part of a new process the state is using to get the public involved in transportation projects.

River Road, which DOT officials said could cost $2 million per mile to repair, runs from North Windham to Westbrook and is a major commuting connector. Much of its pavement is crowned, rutted, broken up, potholed and cracked, causing dangerous driving conditions.

The road has garnered DOT’s attention in the past and was set for reconstruction in 2004-2005, a project which fell through due to lack of federal highway funding. Windham officials are therefore wary of DOT’s promises this time, and used Tuesday’s meeting to ask for specifics regarding a timeline.

“Basically, we’re going to kick it off on (March) 15th with the public. So you’re probably looking at, and this is purely just a guess, a year’s time” before a final design is created, said Ernie Martin, project manager for MDOT. And then the project must receive funding by the Legislature, meaning construction would likely begin in 18-24 months, Martin said.

Martin, who is charge of 40 other road projects in southern Maine, said the public process – known formally as Context Sensitive Solutions – is important to the River Road project because it gets local “stakeholders” involved in an intimate way early on in the process.

He told councilors he’s seen projects commence and then get delayed for years because of issues that arise with abutters who are fine with the general scope of a project but balk when specifics are discussed later in the planning process. Getting the public involved at the outset by holding numerous public hearings and forming a public advisory board, will take more time up front but will result in a project that has the public’s support and has a better chance of gaining state funding, Martin said.

Because of past engineering work conducted when the project first got the green light in 2004-2005, Martin said the project is not at “square one,” which will shrink the project’s timeline as well.

“A lot of groundwork has already been done on historical reviews, environmental reviews. None of that has changed,” Martin said. “For the most part, a lot of legwork has been completed preliminarily.”

Even if road reconstruction begins in 18 months, that’s not fast enough, said Councilor Donna Chapman. She said a year or two might be too long to wait considering the heavy abuse inflicted by commuters and heavy trucks.

“It really disturbs me that we’re looking as far out as we’re looking considering the condition of the road. I don’t think we’re going to make it,” Chapman said.

Assuring MDOT has gotten the message concerning River Road, Martin said the project has been “elevated” in importance in Augusta due to the amount of pressure local legislators, town officials, and private citizens have put on DOT officials.

“I know it’s a priority. I know you folks want the project sooner than later. And I’m committed to do what I can to expedite that schedule,” Martin said.

Councilor Scott Hayman then asked whether the project will get financial approval in the next biennial road repair request for 2012-2013, necessary before the project can move forward.

“That is the goal, and that is why we are really advocating for this (public) process. Because if all the stakeholders are at consensus … then (the project) will compete very favorably (for funding),” said Marty Rooney, director of program development at MDOT.