SCARBOROUGH, Maine — People in the town of Scarborough are in disagreement over the Maine Turnpike Authority's proposed Gorham connector route. Town councilors will vote next week to decide whether to formally withdraw its support for the connector.
Town councilor Don Cushing wrote the resolution, which he said reflects what his constituents have expressed to him the last several months.
"This resolution is not my idea," Cushing said. "This resolution is what I believe my job is to do, [which] is to try and represent the people of Scarborough. And unless I have a really good reason to disagree with them, I'm not going to."
Cushing said many people are no longer in support of the Maine Turnpike Authority's project because of its environmental impacts, like claiming 45 acres of hay field from Smiling Hill Farm.
“If this goes through, I have no doubt in my mind we will not be milking cows anymore," Smiling Hill Farm co-owner Michael Knight said. “I think the ball is rolling in the right direction, but I think it's going to be a long field to get it to the other end.”
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MTA spokesperson Erin Courtney said the project is not set in stone, and the agency is reviewing other options it had previously listed as alternatives.
“We want to revisit everything, outline it better, walk through things with the public in a way they're brought along better, and allow them some input before we just say, 'Here it is,' which is what we did the first time," Courtney explained.
Courtney said she is surprised the proposal is facing pushback because the towns asked for the MTA to look into solutions to traffic congestion more than 15 years ago.
Back in 2007, the towns of Gorham, Scarborough, South Portland, and Westbrook signed a joint resolution requesting the MTA research the practicality of a connector linking the Gorham Bypass with the Maine Turnpike. The Maine Legislature also passed a companion resolution at that time.
In 2017, the four towns reiterated their support for the new connector, and state lawmakers reauthorized the request for action.
Courtney said she thinks there was a lack of communication with this project, which is why so many people in the community are concerned. She said the MTA is still committed to looking at ways to ease traffic congestion, but it's going to re-evaluate its options.
Scarborough town councilor Jean-Marie Caterina lives on Route 114 and said she regularly sees bumper-to-bumper traffic during morning and evening commutes.
"It's not an option to do nothing. It just isn't," she said. "I also want people to give it another thought, because it's not just today; it's 20 years from now.”
Caterina said she believes the connecter is the best option right now and doesn't want the town to withdraw. She said she would rather Scarborough suspend its support for the connector and re-evaluate the project and the MTA's other alternatives.
Town councilors will vote on the resolution on Wednesday, Oct. 2. Cushing said he hopes the town can continue to work with the MTA and the Maine Department of Transportation to look at new, creative solutions.