Maine Turnpike drops plans for Gorham Connector

MAINE PUBLIC • March 6, 2025

The Maine Turnpike Authority is dropping its controversial Gorham connector project, a proposed four-lane highway that would run from South Portland through Westbrook and Scarborough to Gorham. Instead, state transportation authorities say they will undertake a comprehensive effort to find ways of easing persistent rush hour traffic in the region. Turnpike officials spent more than a dozen years and millions of dollars pursuing a five-mile toll road that would connect Portland’s western suburbs to the interstate. But growing public opposition to the $330 million project led the Turnpike to pause it last year. Now all work has stopped while the state conducts fresh research on the issue.