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PORTLAND — The Maine Turnpike Authority is assessing safety and capacity challenges on the Portland-area section of the turnpike, stretching from Scarborough to Falmouth.
Over the last three years, traffic volumes there have been growing at about three to five percent a year and are now at record highs, prompting the Maine Turnpike Authority to undertake a needs assessment.
The third public advisory committee meeting will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24, at the Maine Turnpike Authority headquarters, 2360 Congress St. The presentation will cover the data and process that goes into the development of a traffic forecast, looking both at future traffic growth and future operations for the turnpike.
Committee members have already contributed to a list of potential solutions should the forecast indicate road capacity will be inadequate; the pros and cons of these solutions will be discussed in detail at the meeting. Solutions under consideration include:
* Changing how people use the road, such as encouraging ride sharing, adding bus/transit or making it more expensive to take the Turnpike during peak traffic hours.
* Using technology or more enforcement to change the way people drive, making it possible for the road to handle more vehicles.
* Adding additional lanes to this section of the turnpike.
* Working with municipalities to adjust the way land is used around the exits to make entering and exiting the turnpike more efficient.
* Taking no action. This solution is always included in order to accurately compare the real cost of other solutions, as often doing nothing comes with a cost of its own.
All advisory committee meetings are open to the public, and there will be time set aside at the end of each meeting for the public to ask questions and make comments.
Detailed information about the needs assessment, as well as summaries of the collected data, a list of PAC members, a presentation on economic growth by Charles Colgan, and other important information, can all be found at www.maineturnpike.com/PAM. The needs assessment will be completed by June 2018.
