A Turnpike Connector May Be Coming to Ease Traffic in Gorham

A 5.5-mile connector linking the Maine Turnpike to Gorham is in the planning stages in an effort to ease heavy commuter traffic.

According to the Portland Press Herald, a study is underway to build a connector from the Maine Turnpike to a traffic circle on South Street in Gorham, but there's still much to do before it becomes a reality.

The first project that needs to be completed is the widening of the Turnpike to three lanes through Portland. Twenty years ago, the highway was widened to three lanes from the south up to Scarbrough, at the exit to I-295. Five additional miles will be widened with plans to finish the project in 2022, the newspaper reported.

Once that's done, then things could move forward with the Gorham connector, which could begin construction in 2025 costing millions of dollars. The hope is that once it's completed, traffic would move much more smoothly relieving congestion on Routes 25, 114, 22 and several other roads in Scarborough and Gorham, according to the Press Herald.

2025 is a long way off though, and that's only the beginning of construction, so Gorham and Scarborough commuters are going to have to be patient, but relief seems to be on the way.