A notorious intersection in the heart of Cape Elizabeth may be in for a long-discussed makeover.

Wednesday night, the town and the Maine Department of Transportation hosted a public meeting to discuss options for improvements to the intersection of Scott Dyer, Ocean House and Shore roads, the site of many close calls and fender benders as a result of awkward alignment and the lack of a stoplight.

Because Ocean House Road, which is Route 77, is a federally funded highway, Cape Elizabeth has been working in conjunction with the Department of Transportation during the early phase of this project. Todd Pelletier, assistant manager for the highway program, led the public meeting Wednesday, after Current deadline.

“The goal of this meeting is to see if this project can be done as proposed by the municipality,” said Pelletier earlier this week.

“Our role in this is the design and coordination of the overall project.”

According to Town Manager Mike McGovern, the last construction on the intersection took place during the mid-1960s, when the area between Hill Way and the Mobil station was constructed. Currently, there is a blinking yellow light for Route 77 traffic. It is a blinking red light at Shore and Scott Dyer roads, which also have stop signs.

Letters from concerned citizens in recent years, along with the election of new town council members, have finally prompted Cape Elizabeth to take action.

“It is a town council goal to improve the intersection,” said McGovern.

Cape Elizabeth has worked with the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportations Committee, or PACTS, to draft preliminary plans for improvement. McGovern said that these plans include a traffic light and a phased crosswalk system, where pedestrians can cross the street safely by pressing a button.

“One of the real concerns with this intersection is that pedestrians have a really difficult time getting across,” said McGovern.

In addition to the stoplight and crosswalks proposed by the town’s plan, Pelletier said, new sidewalks and the possible reconfiguration of the intersection’s layout are possibilities. McGovern said that the layout of the intersection is awkward and “as a result, reconstruction could be expensive,” though he did not rule it out.

If a stoplight is installed, it would only be the third in Cape Elizabeth. Currently, there is one at the corner of Spurwink Road and Route 77, and another is to be installed in front of Cape Elizabeth High School during the next week or so.

Several businesses, including Jonesy’s, Coastal Wellness Center and Coldwell Banker, are situated along or near the intersection. Dr. Jane Voelker, owner of Coastal Wellness, has a clear view of traffic problems from her chiropractic office on Ocean House Road. She believes there is a serious need for improvement.

“It is confusing. We’ve seen people going the wrong way up Scott Dyer Road. I would like to see some improvements, for safety’s sake,” said Voelker. “It would be nice to have some sidewalks, as well,” she said. Her patients often have to walk along the busy road and cross the street to get to her office.

Trish Cowie, a real estate agent who works at Coldwell Banker on Ocean House Road, says she has trouble just trying to pull out of her office parking lot at the end of the day.

“I think it’s a very high-risk intersection. You see near-misses all the time,” said Cowie, who has worked at that office for five years.

Tim Gosche, who has worked as a mechanic at Jonesy’s Mobil station for 18 years, believes that driver carelessness is chiefly to blame. Gosche said that cars traveling down Shore Road often do not obey the stop sign.

“If the cars on Shore Road actually came to a complete stop, it wouldn’t be so bad,” said Gosche, who has seen close calls countless times as a result.

The plans for the intersection are still in their infancy. McGovern cannot yet say when any kind of construction would begin.

“They’ve talked about doing something within the next construction season. Time will tell,” said McGovern.