The Maine Department of Transportation and Freeport planners are thinking of a spaghetti-like interchange and stop-light system for both the east and west sides of the Interstate 295-Desert Road interchange.

 

This is complete overkill.

 

I drive these intersections every day. Sure, a few minutes a day, a few days a week, some congestion occurs. But please: intelligent citizens can make do with this. Spending millions of dollars for a few minutes of congestion smells to me like more of the nanny state.

 

If you disagree, and want a solution to the congestion, let’s use a roundabout. These are much simpler and do not involve a traffic light. Traffic light timings often seem dictated by someone in Augusta using information from five years ago for the most congested time of day, unless the lights are tripped by traffic (and one wishes more were so set up).

 

Why is DOT considering spending money – supposedly $1 million, but you can bet it will get to $2 million soon – on this situation, when we all know we need repairs, not new construction; when the DOT budget was already slashed, and highway bonds refused, by our governor?