Drivers at the Maine Turnpike exit near the Maine Mall will begin noticing changes this week as work on a new interchange enters a new phase.
Turnpike spokeswoman Erin Courtney says when the project is finished next year, it will alter the way drivers enter the Turnpike.
“So currently, the way traffic is flowing through the existing Exit 45 is that it’s a barrier toll plaza across the road and folks make a decision point once they’ve traveled through the toll plaza to decide if they’re going north or south,” she says.
When the new interchange is complete, drivers will first turn onto the north or south entrance ramps, then encounter the toll plaza before reaching the highway. Courtney says the new design will be able to handle higher traffic volumes the Turnpike may see in years ahead.
“If the potential of a Gorham Spur does ever occur, it’s being designed so that traffic coming from the west will be able to feed into this design,” she says.
Courtney says crews will begin to divert traffic so construction work can begin. The project will cost the turnpike $28 million. It is to be complete in the fall of next year.
