The Maine Turnpike Authority’s proposed highway spur to Gorham is an irreversible mistake. It will ruin our village center and local economy, create sprawl, and will not solve our traffic problem.
The Gorham Town Council should vote to withdraw from the agreement it signed two years ago with the turnpike authority. The costs of this project to our community are simply too high, and a study of road improvement alternatives to the turnpike has never been done.
The Maine Turnpike Authority continues to hang their hat on a 2012 study as proof that we need this highway, but the Gorham East-West Corridor Feasibility Study does not recommend the highway over other local and state road improvements. The study examined two roadway improvement scenarios to address congestion. Scenario 1 includes a number of intersection improvements for existing roads and other small-scale changes that would improve traffic flow. Scenario 2 includes the new highway spur. This study recommends “that both scenarios be carried forward for further evaluation under Phase 2 for detailed evaluation under the NEPA process and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England Highway Methodology Process.”
So where is the evaluation of Scenario 1? The Gorham Town Council must demand that these alternatives to the turnpike be studied.
Our state senators and representatives also need to take action to stop this senseless project. When the Legislature authorized this turnpike spur in 2017, it was contingent upon the turnpike authority “completing an evaluation of reasonable alternatives, as required by the Sensible Transportation Policy Act.” The Legislature required that the turnpike authority determine that there is no reasonable alternative to the construction of a connector to meet the identified need.
The MTA has determined no such thing, as no study of alternative roadway improvements has been done.
Abby King
Gorham
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