SACO — A long-awaited project that makes modifications to an existing Maine Turnpike Authority exit and creates a new exit — all designed to ease traffic congestion and back-ups on Route 112 and the surrounding area — is to commence this month.

Maine Turnpike Authority public outreach leader Erin Courtney said crews from Sargent Construction are expected to bring in earthwork equipment and then clear land to create the new exit 35 and make upgrades to exit 36, among other improvements, sometime early this month. The project is expected to finish by November 2025, and includes four new ramps, two new toll plazas, widening of the turnpike mainline southbound between exit 36 and the new exit 35 and construction of a collector-distributor road that separates on and off traffic from both exits. The plan also calls for modifications to widen Route 112 in the vicinity of the collector-distributor road and traffic signals at the toll plazas.

The new exit 35 northbound exit will be somewhat familiar to those who have driven the Maine

Turnpike for years — it uses the footprint of the old Exit 5, with modifications, said Courtney.

The project also includes earthwork, pavement, concrete, signing, overhead sign structures, concrete barrier, guardrail, drainage, storm water management, electrical work, highway lighting, lightning suppression systems, installation of tolling equipment, administration buildings, canopies, and toll booths and maintenance of traffic, according to MTA.

“The changes should help alleviate some of the congestion around North Street and Industrial Park Road by allowing for additional on and off access points,” said Saco Mayor Bill Doyle. “It will help with some congestion and the rural neighborhoods, it but won’t solve  every traffic problem we have.”

More than 30,600 vehicles use exit 36 daily, 20 percent more than in 2011, according to a 2020 Portland Press Herald story by Peter McGuire.

With the modifications, commuters heading to Buxton and Hollis will be able to exit off the turnpike and turn right onto Route 112 and avoid the traffic bottleneck at Industrial Park Road.

The project arose from the Saco Route 112/Exit 36 Area Transportation Study that included the MTA, Maine Department of Transportation, and the City of Saco in 2019.

The purpose of the 2019 study was to evaluate ways to manage and improve access to Route 112, make safety improvements at intersections, maintain and improve easy access to and from the turnpike, and to separate local and through traffic as much as is practical, according to a news release issued at the conclusion of the study.

Sargent Corporation, based in Stillwater, bid $41.9 million for the project.

“First, they’ll clear, then bring in materials, and work on building the toll plaza northbound for new exit 35,” said Courtney, “By summer (they will) start some of the work for the collector road on the northbound side.”

Traffic disruptions this year will be minor, she said, and take place later in 2023 as Sargent coordinates work with nine utilities.

Work on Route 112 will be conducted mostly in 2025, Courtney said.

A ‘park and ride’ shown as an orange rectangle in the accompanying graphic on the west side of the turnpike will not be built, she said.

“Residents …. were concerned about a park and ride,” said Courtney. “So, we’ve included an ability to build it in the permit, but it is not being built.”

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