Federal funding of $9.6 million for a planned traffic roundabout in west Cumberland cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee last week and now awaits approval from the full House and Senate.

Town Manager Matt Sturgis said his understanding is that the Senate Appropriations Committee was the biggest obstacle, so it is now  likely the town will get the funding.

Town officials say the intersection of Route 100/Gray Road and Skillin and Blackstrap roads is dangerous and that a roundabout would not only help with safety, but could also catalyze economic activity in that area of town.

“The roundabout project will improve the safety of this intersection by calming traffic, reducing speeds, (making) significant pedestrian improvements, and improving sight line awareness. Additionally, the hope is for this project to be a spark to increased economic development by improving traffic safety, improving the walkability of the neighborhood, and beautification of the street scape,” Town Manager Matt Sturgis said in an email. The roundabout is estimated to cost between $10-$12 million, he said.

There were 12 crashes at the intersection between 2021 and 2023, according to the Maine Department of Transportation. Cars currently abide by a blinking red light where Skillin and Blackstrap meet Route 100 and a flashing yellow in both directions on Route 100 at the intersection.

The funding is part of a larger $52 million allotment of Congressionally Directed Spending for the Maine Department of Transportation that U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has requested.

“Maintaining and improving Maine’s transportation infrastructure has always been a top priority of mine … This funding would help to ensure the reliability and safety of travelers on Maine roads while strengthening local economies,” said Collins in a press release.

Collins wrote a letter to former Cumberland Town Council Chair Mark Segrist in early June, letting him know that she had put in a request for the $9.6 million with the Senate Appropriations Committee, of which Collins is vice chair. In October 2023, the Cumberland Town Council put in a formal request for funding for the roundabout to the Maine Department of Transportation, which then put in a funding request for the money with Collins.

Congress must pass all 12 appropriations bills before Oct. 1 – the start of its new fiscal year – or else pass a continuing resolution that funds the government at the previous fiscal years spending levels to avoid a government shutdown.