Saco wants more public input for traffic study

The Saco City Council is seeking more public input before making any commitments to a proposed plan that would make changes to the Ocean Park Road area.

A study of the roadways and related traffic from the intersection of I-95 and Route One in Saco down to the halfway intersection in Old Orchard Beach was funded by the town of Old Orchard Beach, the city of Saco and the Maine Department of Transportation. It led to a proposed $16 million plan to improve the area by engineering company Gorrill Palmer.

The proposal was discussed at multiple public meetings in Old Orchard Beach, and the town of Old Orchard Beach in December approved a resolution to continue the collaborative work with Maine DOT, pursuing all available potential funding for project implementation.

The plan would change the off ramp from the I-95 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. 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.

Other changes along the spur and in Old Orchard Beach would be made in the plan. See this story for more details.

The Saco City Council on Monday, after hearing a presentation on the plan, tabled a vote on a similar resolution until after a public hearing could be held.

Councilor Nathan Johnston said he had just heard about the proposal a few weeks ago, and he wasn’t able to make any commitment at this time.

“I look at this and I’m welcoming to anything that will improve the area, but I can also see how more voices could be beneficial here,” he said.

Johnston said he felt like Saco was piggybacking on something that Old Orchard Beach was pursuing.

Councilor Phil Hatch Saco didn’t have an opportunity to engage in the vetting process and didn’t feel comfortable at this time supporting city funding for the project.

Councilor Michael Burman said he liked the study and he thought changes didn’t need to be made, but, like others, he felt like there needed to be more community input.

“I don’t feel like it has been adequately discussed,” he said.

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