By Dan Aceto

Staff Writer

Harry White of Scarborough remembers a time when things were different on Running Hill Road. 

“There was a lot less traffic when I first moved here. Now it’s hard to get out of the driveway because people move so fast,” White said.

For years, White and other residents have expressed concern at neighborhood meetings with the Planning Board about the road’s safety and dangers of speeding motorists.

Last week, Town Planner Dan Bacon addressed those concerns in a presentation to the Town Council.

The Running Hill Road Corridor Study, compiled over two years, illustrated the benefits a proposed connector road between Running Hill Road and Route 114, would have on traffic. The study also showed the level of increased safety two new intersections and other roadway enhancements would bring to the area.

Bacon said a date has not been set to act on the study. He said it depends on developer Ken Grondin of Grondin Aggregates, who owns the land where the connector would be

The road is designed to alleviate traffic concerns in the area by providing access to the western end of Running Hill Road near the Maine Mall. Bacon said there is no estimate yet how much a new road would cost.

Running Hill Road, which is heavily traveled by commuters to and from work and those who go to the Maine Mall, is notorious for speeding, Bacon said. 

Scarborough Police Sgt. John O’Malley has conducted several radar details in the area and pulled over multiple motorists speeding in excess of 50 mph in the posted 35 mph zone. Bacon said the road is an “old country lane” that is undersized and never was meant to handle the 6,000 motorists who travel on Running Hill road each day. 

Bacon said the proposed design would encourage use of Gorham Road down to the proposed connector and provide an alternative to the western end of Running Hill Road.

He said the town would work with Grondin Aggregates to build the new connector road. Grondin, who owns developable land in the area where the proposed connector could be built, said he intends the road to provide future access for businesses in the area.

Grondin said he approached the Planning Board in 2008 with the intent to build the road, but ultimately decided not to pursue the project because of the economy. 

Grondin said the town will help off-set his company’s cost for the road by paying for any upgrades to improve safety that are outlined in the Planning Board study.

Grondin said now that business has picked up, he is considering the project again for spring. Although he originally intended the road to be more of a scenic drive with a speed limit of 25 to 30 mph, Grondin said he will adjust his view of the road’s aesthetics based on concerns and recommendations in the Planning Board’s study. 

Grondin said he views the town’s developments as a “tradeoff” because the town will be responsible for the cost of improvements to the road, such as widening its shoulders. He said he is content with how proceedings on the matter have gone.

Bacon said development of the road depends on Planning Board approval and requires the correct permits before Grondin may begin work.

Dennis Day’s property on the western end of Running Hill Road occupies approximately 25 to 50 feet of where the proposed connector would be built. Although he supports a new road, he said he would like to be reimbursed for construction on his land. 

“I want to be compensated for it. I’m not going to give the land away for free,” Day said. 

Day said he has spoken with both Bacon and Grondin about the property but has not entered negotiations.

Several other aspects of the plan worry him. 

“One issue I have is that I’m living here. I don’t want to be disrupted by cars coming to a stop sign that is going to be built and shining light at my window,” Day said. 

A new “T” intersection that would be built at the opposite end of the connector would include stop signs, widened shoulders and sidewalks, according to the study. 

Day said he favors anything that can mitigate traffic issues. He said he’s had more than one close call with speeding motorists.  

“I pulled out of my driveway one morning and a car swerved around me going 80 miles per hour into a ditch and kept driving. It was coming over the hill and actually lifted off the ground,” Day said. 

Bacon said he anticipates traffic to increase more in coming years with the potential for commercial development in the area since the town rezoned of the eastern end of Running Hill Road in 2008. 

The land that borders Running Hill Road and New Road was approved as a mixed-use zone for commercial development. 

Barbara Zaharis lives on the eastern end of Running Hill Road and has witnessed a dramatic change in traffic since she moved to the neighborhood in 1975.  

“We used to be able to go out into the street and never see a car,” she said. 

Zaharis, who lives just around the bend of one of the road’s many curves, said she has had her mailbox taken out twice by speeding motorists. Her husband, Glenn, said he often commutes to work by bike and on several occasions has been thrown into a ditch by motorists who take the corner at high speeds.

Zaharis and others have put up signs near their property that ask drivers to watch their speed and remind them the road has a 35 mph limit. 

Zaharis and Day said they are unsure if a connector road will solve traffic problems in the area or simply redirect motorists to Route 114. 

The study estimated construction of the connector road could result in a reduction of traffic in the area by 20 to 30 percent.

In addition to the proposed connector road, the Planning Board suggests adding a roundabout to the intersection with a raised island and widened shoulders to allow motorists greater maneuverability. 

“It’s been a very interesting and challenging process to try and balance the needs, goals and desires of all the various property owners and residents as well as the needs and demands of commuters who frankly aren’t residents of Scarborough,” Bacon said. “It’s been a balancing act to come up with a good transportation solution that ultimately benefits everybody and does not become a hindrance to the community.”