Public Outcry Forces Maine Turnpike to Rethink Gorham Connector

They've been trying to figure out how to solve the traffic problem in Greater Gorham since the 80s.

Last year the Maine Turnpike lit a fire trying to solve a huge problem of traffic congestion around Gorham, Scarborough, Westbrook, and South Portland. But just how much traffic does this area see?

Maine Turnpike Authority

How much traffic passed through Route 114 and 22?

It's insane how much traffic has grown! The Bangor Daily News reported that from a review from the Maine Department of Transportation, traffic on Brackett Road (which runs south from Main Street in Gorham toward Route 22) has more than doubled since the 1990s.

Senator Bill Diamond, a Democrat from Windham who's on the Legislature's transportation committee, says,

It’s a real bottleneck, and it’s really a situation that does need to be addressed.

Public outcry and going through part of Smiling Hill Farm in Westbrook, Maine kills the plan

According to Mainebiz, there was a joint statement from the Maine Transportation Authority and the MDOT. It noted that there was extensive feedback from the public and civic leaders calling for 'a broader, more holistic, and multimodal approach to addressing the region’s mobility challenges.' In other words, back to the drawing board.

Now what happens to ease the horrible traffic in Greater Gorham?

Maine Turnpike YouTube

It's another study that will take another year to research another alternative. Smiling Hill Farm is happy. Last year the beloved 300-year-old 550-acre family-run farm co-owned by, Michael Knight told News Center Maine,

I always knew trying to retain and keep this much land in this area, somebody would be sooner or later knocking on the door wanting a piece of it. Fair enough, it was the Maine Turnpike Authority wanting a piece of it.

The farm's land was probably the most controversial part of the proposal and whipped up the most outcry. We do need a solution, so good luck Maine Turnpike!