WESTBROOK – The replacement of the Cumberland Mills bridges is not going to be the only construction project near Sappi Fine Paper Co. in the next few years.

That is because Westbrook was recently awarded $3 million from the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System. A $1.45 million slice of that will go toward intersection work at the nearby Cumberland Mills triangle.

City Administrator Jerre Bryant said the intersection’s proximity to the bridges on Cumberland Street may have helped the city secure the funding because the Maine Department of Transportation is planning to replace those bridges in the coming years.

“They want the whole Cumberland Mills traffic issue addressed simultaneously,” he said.

John Duncan, director of Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System, said the project competed favorably with other intersection proposals in the Portland region.

The organization recently announced $20 million for transportation projects throughout the region ranging from Biddeford to Freeport. Duncan said funding is for major paving projects, intersections, public transportation and rebuilding major roads. It is a mix of federal and state funding, which together make up 75 percent of the Cumberland Mills triangle intersection work, he said.

According to city officials, the work is sorely needed to correct traffic congestion and pedestrian safety issues at a major travel corridor for the region.

Eric Dudley, city engineer, said the traffic pattern at the triangle leads to a high volume of car accidents and even resulted in a pedestrian fatality a few years ago.

There are few gaps in traffic during peak hours, leading to extensive backups in several locations, he said.

The traffic pattern will remain essentially the same, but the project features the addition of four traffic lights. Dudley said they will be located at Main Street at Cumberland Street, Warren Avenue at Cumberland Street, Cumberland Street at Harnois Avenue and Main Street at Harnois Avenue.

The current signal at Main and Forest streets will also be upgraded so it can tie in with the coordination of the other signals, he said.

“The signals apportion adequate time for each movement,” he said. “Traffic signals are always the last resort. We’d rather not put all these traffic signals in. Unfortunately, this is the best solution.”

Dudley does not anticipate this work, along with the state’s work on the bridges, getting under way for a few years.

Other funding the city recently secured through the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System includes $1.43 million for preservation paving on Bridge Street and East Bridge Street.