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MTA to Hold Final Public Advisory Committee Meeting on Portland-Area Mainline June 19, 2018

Maine Turnpike Authority Logo FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 13, 2018
Erin Courtney
513-2982
ecourtney@maineturnpike.com
CONTACT: Dan Morin (MTA)
838-8613
dmorin@maineturnpike.com


MTA to Hold Final Public Advisory Committee Meeting on Portland-Area Mainline June 19, 2018

Public is Welcome to Attend 

PORTLAND, Maine - The Maine Turnpike Authority (MTA) has almost completed assessing safety and congestion challenges on the Portland-area section of the Turnpike, which stretches from Scarborough to Falmouth. Over the last three years, traffic volumes here have been growing at about three to five percent a year and are now at record highs. The upcoming Public Advisory Meeting (PAC) meeting will present analysis on several new potential solutions suggested by the PAC.
 
The MTA has analyzed almost two dozen potential solutions to rising traffic volumes. Some of the options being evaluated are:
 

  • increasing availability of public transit 
  • adding more park and ride lots and encouraging people to rideshare
  • increasing tolls during peak travel hours
  • adding new Turnpike lanes between Scarborough and Falmouth
  • widening other major highways
Options are evaluated based on effectiveness in managing Turnpike congestion, increasing safety, decreasing regional congestion, reducing air pollution, estimated cost, and funding availability.  
 
All advisory committee meetings are open to the public and there will be time set aside during each meeting for the public to ask questions and make comments. 
 
The Turnpike recently held a public open house at the Maine Mall, displaying all potential options for comment, and also ran an advertising and social media campaign to attract online comments. The June 19 advisory committee meeting will take place from 4-7 pm at MTA Headquarters, located at 2360 Congress Street in Portland.
 
Detailed information about the needs assessment, as well as summaries of the collected data, a list of advisory committee members, a presentation on economic growth by Charles Colgan, and other information can all be found at www.maineturnpike.com/PAM.
 
The needs assessment will be completed in July.
 
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