PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 25, 2024
The Maine Turnpike Authority’s plan to build a turnpike spur through Gorham/Scarborough is a bad idea. The 3/4-mile long section of Route 22 between the two Route 114 intersections has historically caused a traffic logjam heading into Portland in the morning and toward Buxton and beyond in the evening. Traffic thins out in either direction as soon as it gets through that bottleneck and cars split off. The archaic plan of a turnpike spur from Gorham to Scarborough (through Smiling Hill Farm) will not address this. The spur will cut through the farm’s land and destroy natural habitats while in no way alleviating the traffic on Route 22 heading into and out of Portland. ~ Lisa King, Gorham