Workshop in #ScarboroughMaine Wednesday, September 18th

Community group opposing #GorhamConnector discusses alternatives

A coalition run by volunteers, #MainersForSmarterTransportation , held a community forum about the Gorham Connector, with all present opposing it.

"Offering alternatives to the connector, Gorham resident Tina Ruel talked about traveling this summer in Switzerland and France and riding aboard electric trams on tracks and buses. 'Building more roads and widening roads is no longer the answer,' Ruel said in a printed statement to the American Journal."

by Robert Lowell, September 12, 2024

"Opponents of the proposed #MaineTurnpike toll connector to Gorham spoke out last week in a community forum held in Westbrook.

"A grassroots coalition, Mainers for Smarter Transportation, organized the meeting. It has more than 11,000 signatures on a petition to halt the connector, according to its website m4st.org.

"#SmarterTransportation volunteer Myles Smith of Portland said the connector could cost upward of $400 to $500 million and quality of life suffers when new roads are constructed. '#Highways often lead to #sprawl, Smith said.

"Two ways to solve transportation problems, Paul Drinan, who is a member of Westbrook Recreation and #Conservation Commission, said, are #RapidTransit and active transportation such as #bicycling and #ElectricScooters.

The proposed 4.8-mile connector would link the Bernard Rines Bypass in Gorham to Turnpike Exit 45 in South Portland. It is aimed at easing bumper-to-bumper, rush-hour congestion in the routes 22 and 114 commuter corridor through #GorhamMaine, #ScarboroughMaine and #WestbrookMaine. The connector alignment would cut a 50-acre swath through historic #SmilingHillFarm.

"Retired Gorham tax assessor Mike D’Arcangelo said Maine is a tourist mecca and the state’s beauty needs protection. 'Are we going to put in a forever, four-lane highway?' he said.

"The Scarborough Town Council will discuss the Gorham connector in a workshop scheduled for 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the Scarborough Municipal Building, 259 Route 1."

Original article:
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/09/12/community-group-opposing-gorham-connector-discusses-alternatives/

Archive:
https://archive.md/CrtWs

#InducedDemand #Sprawl #SaveRedBrook #SaveSmilingHillFarm #GorhamConnector #GorhamBypass
#Maine #RapidTransit #LightRail #SaveTheFarms #SaveTheForest #Wildlife #LightRail #HuskyLine #RapidBusTransit #BikeLanes #MainersForSmarterTransportation #MaineTurnpikeAuthority