Proposed plan would make changes on 1-95 spur and Old Orchard Beach intersection

The Halfway Intersection in Old Orchard Beach has been the subject of several town discussion and studies over the years.

The intersection connects Saco Avenue, Ocean Park Avenue, Temple Avenue and Old Orchard Avenue. It has an unusual layout, and for motorists new to the area, it can be difficult to navigate. The Maine Department of Transportation has deemed it a “high crash” location.

A study of the intersection began in 2022 and was expanded to include the I-95 Spur in Old Orchard Beach to Main Street in Saco.

At a Town Council workshop Tuesday night, Don Ettinger of engineering company Gorrill Palmer laid out the details of a proposed $16 million plan to make improvements from Route One in Saco to the Halfway Intersection in Old Orchard Beach.

The plan would change the off ramp from the spur to Route One south in Saco so that motorists could only take a right hand turn onto Route One, and would not be able to go straight onto Ocean Park Road.

The I-95 spur as it currently appears. COURTESY PHOTO

 

The speed drop to 35 miles an hour on the spur would be moved back closer to Saco and the spur would taper from two lanes to one lane sooner. A traffic rotary would be created where the spur meets up with Ocean Park Road toward the Old Orchard Beach line. This would allow motorists to turn right and access Ocean Park Road from the spur, and it would also allow traffic on Ocean Park Road to turn onto the spur and head either to Old Orchard Beach or Saco.

 

A suggested plan would create a traffic circle on the I-95 spur at the intersection of Ocean Park Road. COURTESY IMAGE

The plan would also add a traffic light at the intersection of Smithwheel Road and Ocean Park Road. It would also transform the Halfway Intersection, creating an intersection with a traffic light. Dewey Avenue, a dead-end street near the Halfway Intersection, would be expanded so that it would connect to another road in the neighborhood.

Town Manager Diana Asanza read a letter of endorsement of the plan from the Maine Department of Transportation. Asanza also said the City of Saco was onboard with the plan, and an email to the City of Saco’s communications department confirmed there was general support for the project from Saco.

 

The suggested plan would create an intersection with a traffic light at the current Halfway Intersection in Old Orchard Beach. COURTESY IMAGE

Resident Guy Fontaine said that in past discussions, the preferred plan for the Halfway Intersection was to create a traffic circle.

Town Councilor Kenneth Blow said that when studying the project, it was determined that creating a traffic circle at the Halfway Intersection would not improve safety as originally thought. The proposed intersection with a traffic light is safer, and would only impact one piece of abutting property instead of five or six, he said.

The town will explore funding and partnering opportunities with the Maine Department of Transportation and the City of Saco.

Saco Bay News Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.