By David Harry
Staff Writer

What began as a study in traffic relief almost a decade ago is further along the road to reality.
Town Manager Tom Hall has reached an agreement between the town, Maine Department of Transportation and Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System to fund and begin work on the Dunstan Corner area and intersection of Route 1 and Haigis Parkway.
After reviewing the agreement at their Jan. 20 meeting, town councilors were expected to vote on allowing Hall to sign it Wednesday night, after the Leader’s deadline.
If approved, the agreement becomes the basis for $6.2 million of work along Route 1 and several crossroads to relieve congestion and safety issues and create better access with additional turning lanes.
Hall said he would like the work completed by the end 2013, and anticipates work at Route 1 and Haigis Parkway would be the first phase of the project.
Lengthening the left turn lane from northbound Route 1 to Haigis Parkway, which runs between Route 1 and Maine Turnpike Exit 42, is one step needed to alleviate increased traffic. The work will cost an estimated $2.85 million, Hall said.
The work would be funded by the town largely through possible impact fees on construction in the area. Those impact fees may be discussed this spring, said Town Planner Dan Bacon in a memo to councilors.
Independent traffic engineer Bill Bray warned councilors the intersection of Route 1 and Haigis Parkway “will fail in 2015” without changes that also include adding a right turn lane from southbound Route 1 and a right turn lane from Haigis Parkway to southbound Route 1.
Hall said the access from Haigis Parkway to Route 1 is critical for truck traffic as drivers currently find the corner difficult to navigate.
Traffic flow on Haigis Parkway is expected to increase if plans proceed further south at Dunstan Corner to restrict access to northbound Payne Road. Planners hope the change will divert at least 20 percent of traffic from Payne Road.
Work at Dunstan Corner, defined as the intersections of Payne Road and Route 1 and the confluence of Broadturn and Pine Point roads and Route 1, is estimated to cost $3.35 million.
The town will pay about $837,000, Hall said.
The money will come from construction impact fees already collected in the area, Hall said.
The remaining $2.51 million will come from a combination of state and federal money through the DOT and PACTS, a transportation council comprised of 16 towns in the Portland area.
Work will include addition of turn lanes to Route 1 from Pine Point and Broadturn roads, extension of  the left turn lane from southbound Route 1 to Pine Point Road, and construction of an access road to Payne Road from northbound Route 1.
Hall said PACTS money for the project came after collaborative efforts by officials, residents and business owners to reduce traffic on Payne Road.
The 2.7-mile stretch of Payne Road between Route 1 and Haigis Parkway has been a favored route for drivers headed to the Maine Mall area and a source of contention for some residents concerned about speeders.
The idea of eliminating access to Payne Road from Route 1 altogether caused concern among business owners, including Jack Flaherty of Flaherty Farms, who feared a potential loss of business.
After months of study in a group led by Councilor Ron Ahlquist, the feeder road was conceived as a compromise. It provided a less expensive alternative to re-engineering the intersection because it does not cross wetlands while connecting to Payne Road.
As a result, the estimated cost of re-engineering and reconstructing roads in Dunstan Corner was reduced by more than 50 percent from the original $6.2 million.
At the same time, Hall, Bray and other officials hope the feeder road will discourage drivers on their way to the Gateway Shoppes at Scarborough or the Maine Mall from using Payne Road.
“It was important we work through our own local process even with diametrically opposed needs on Payne Road,” Hall said.

Staff writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219