The state does not seem to take vehicle safety a priority in Topsham. The street lights at the intersection of the on and off ramps from 295 South to Route 196 from Augusta and to Portland south have been out all winter and continue to remain out. I called the local DOT office in March to report the problem. The fellow who I talked to stated he knew of the problem and had been trying to get the person who is in charge of lights in the Augusta office to work on the problem.

He emailed him twice on my request to have the lights fixed. The local person has done all he can but the people in the Augusta office evidently do not have safety as a priority. Now it is July and numerous tourists may have missed or may have taken the wrong ramp due to lack of lighting in the area. I did call Augusta myself about this issue but never got a return call.

The men and women that keep are roads safe do a great job keeping our roads safe, but the folks who sit in Augusta do not seem to care.

Ralph Newton
Topsham