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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 30, 2015
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Exit 53 Park and Ride to Close
--Maine Turnpike Authority needs property for interchange improvements--
PORTLAND, Maine – On Friday, November 13, 2015 the Park and Ride lot at Exit 53 in Falmouth will close permanently. Currently there are 19 spaces in the Park and Ride lot adjacent to the toll plaza. “The Turnpike tries to provide commuter parking when it is feasible at our interchanges. This lot cannot be operated safely in its present location. Our efforts over many years to identify an alternative site in this immediate area have been unsuccessful” said Peter Mills, Maine Turnpike Authority Executive Director.
Since the advent of electronic toll collection in the late 1990’s the MTA has moved all of their Park and Ride lots away from the toll lanes for safety. This lot at Exit 53 is not easily accessible and because of that the lot is being closed as part of a larger project to make safety and capacity improvements to Exit 53. This includes the complete replacement of the toll plaza. It also includes adding a third lane entering the turnpike and constructing a new utility building for turnpike employees and equipment. All of this work is part of the Maine Turnpike Authority’s ongoing efforts to modernize and update toll plazas and toll equipment along the highway; providing MTA patrons with a more efficient and reliable turnpike.
The project will be under construction until late fall of 2017. Project updates can be found at www.maineturnpike.com. For more information on other Park and Ride lots in the area commuters can go to www.exploremaine.org.
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