By Nate Jones

Staff Writer 

The commute for Scarborough, Biddeford and Saco residents who work around the Maine Mall is about to change. On Wednesday, members of Scarborough’s Payne Road Traffic Study Committee listened to a proposal for modifications to Payne Road specifically designed to discourage drivers from using its residential portion for access to commercial development from the Cabela’s retail store to the Maine Mall in South Portland. 

“I will see Payne Road put back to a residential street, we’ve got to slow the people down dramatically,” Scarborough Town Councilor Ron Ahlquist said. “There will be major changes and it will be quick. I don’t see this as something we need to study for years, let’s just get something done.”

As council liaison for the committee, Ahlquist said the group discussed a myriad of options to lessen traffic flow on Payne Road – including dead-ending the southern extremity of the street, prohibiting commercial traffic and constructing a bypass to connect farther north on Route 1. However, Ahlquist said the committee was leaning toward adopting a proposal that would eliminate a left-hand turn onto Payne Road from Route 1 in the Dunstan neighborhood. 

“For us to restore the quality of life for [Payne Road residents] and improve the traffic pattern of the whole town, we have to limit that left turn onto Payne Road,” Town Manager Tom Hall said. “Solving the Dunstan problem is key.”

Bill Bray, a traffic engineer hired by the town, said restricting access to Payne Road from Route 1 would allow modifications to the road to make it less of a “major travel lane.” He said incorporating new stop-sign intersections at Two Rod Road and Scottow Hill Road and narrowing Payne Road by eliminating a second southbound travel lane could help slow traffic and encourage commuters to use Haigis Parkway – to get to Route 1 rather than Payne Road. 

“It’s the fast commuters that are the problem,” Committee member and Payne Road business owner Jim Flaherty said. 

Business owners, including Flaherty and New England Expedition legal representative Rick Shinay were receptive to the concept of restricting access to the southern portion of Payne Road as long as traffic could still gain access to both the Flaherty Farm and Cabela’s retail stores via the Haigis Parkway. Bray said an expansion of the Haigis Parkway, including new travel lanes and signs to direct traffic to different destinations throughout town, was also part of the proposal for relief on Payne Road. 

Scarborough Economic Development Commission Director Harvey Rosenfeld said expansion of the Haigis Parkway should also include more southbound turning lanes onto Payne Road, although Bray said that was not included in the proposal as traffic numbers did not warrant the change.

“There is one-third occupancy at the Gateway Shops,” Rosenfeld said. “Isn’t it reasonable to expect as increase in traffic flow as occupancy increases?”

Ahlquist had expected the committee to vote on the proposal, but a final decision was delayed by the concerns of committee member and Scarborough Firefighter Bruce Bell, who predicted commuters who currently take a left onto Payne Road from Route 1 would instead use Milliken Road to make the jump. Bray said Milliken Road would not be able to support a high volume of traffic, and making one portion of Payne Road a one-way-southbound lane could help deter commuters from using Milliken Road. 

“They didn’t ask for this, development happened; it’s the Maine Mall, it’s Cabela’s” Bell said. “If I lived on Milliken Road and I heard about this I would be absolutely horrified.”

The committee is expected to meet Aug. 19 at 7:30 a.m. before bringing a final recommendation to the town council on Sept. 3.

   Staff Writer Nate Jones may be reached at 282-4337 ext. 233.