By Amanda Estes

Staff Writer

The major intersection at Cape Elizabeth’s town center presents a
dilemma of competing needs in limited space said Maine Department of
Transportation (MDOT) Assistant Program Manager Todd Pelletier.

MDOT officials presented preliminary plans for improvements and a
traffic signal at the intersection of Route 77, Scott Dyer Road and
Shore Road during a Sept. 19 public hearing.

Ten members of the audience – a mix of residents, town councilors and
business owners – took advantage of the opportunity to ask questions
and provide input on the proposed design. The MDOT will likely also
attend a public design workshop, which had not been scheduled as of
press time.

Public comments reflected a need to improve safety and efficiency
within the intersection while preserving the feel of a rural town
center. Property owners questioned how right-of-way acquisitions would
affect their land while other participants pointed to improving
pedestrian and bicycle accessibility as a top priority.

“You have so many [needs] and there’s only so much physical space,”
said Pelletier, who was representing MDOT Project Manager Shawn Smith.
“A lot of consensus building is going to have to occur.”

As of Monday, Smith said project costs are estimated to be $880,000.
The Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation Committee (PACTS), the
metropolitan planning organization for the Portland region, has
allocated a combination of federal, state and local funds for the
project.

As a PACTS project, Pelletier said the MDOT looks to that body and the
community for direction. If the project were to go out to bid in the
winter, Pelletier said it could be complete by next fall.

“There’s no reason this can’t be done in one season,” he said.

Pelletier said the plans were generated from recommendations in Cape
Elizabeth’s 1993 comprehensive plan and a 2003 traffic plan by Wilbur
Smith Associates.

The preliminary plans call for the realignment of Scott Dyer Road and
Shore Road, currently offset by 110 feet, to allow for straight-through
movement, said Jonathan French, MDOT project designer.

The plans also call for a traffic signal and a left turn lane onto
Scott Dyer Road from Route 77, designated by a concrete island, one
inch in elevation, stretching north from the town hall to Jonesy’s
service station. Two triangular, slightly raised concrete islands will
be constructed within the intersection to calm traffic. Sidewalks and
pedestrian crossing locations have yet to be determined.

Although the plans did not reflect driveways, slope lines or right of
way lines, some property owners expressed concern about the project’s
impact on their land.

Jonesy’s owner, Greg Jones, said if the improvements affect in and out
access to his business, his customers will go elsewhere. Jones said he
has made a “major investment” to stay in the area for the next 10 to 15
years. At a Sept. 18 planning board meeting, Jones received approval to
convert his gas and service station into a gas and convenience store
center.

“I’m not sure a project of this magnitude is needed,” he said of the intersection plans.

Jones also said he wasn’t convinced the intersection needed a traffic
signal. He said narrower roads and raised crosswalks might have
comparable traffic calming effects.

Shore Road resident, Everett Johnson, who also owns commercial property
on Shore Road and Ocean House Road, questioned whether the improvements
were really necessary in light of the potential taking of property.

“My properties have given up a lot already,” he said. Johnson also
expressed concern about the area’s old growth trees, particularly a
300-year-old tree on Ocean House Road, measuring 157 centimeters in
diameter.

While Pelletier said MDOT approaches every project with the intent of
saving as many trees as possible, he said “strip takes” may be needed
and utilities may need to be pushed back. He said many municipalities,
when improving town centers, consider burying utilities underground.

Cape Elizabeth Town Manager Michael McGovern said all of the
discussions with MDOT had been focused on maintaining the character of
the area, including preserving the trees.

Mike Danforth, of the MDOT, said the plans “take advantage of the existing right of way to the degree possible.”

“We want to be particularly sensitive to any acquisition that may cause
more of a burden on the property than they currently experience,”
Danforth said.

If acquisitions are need to allow more room for turning, pedestrian
traffic or capacity within the intersection, abutters will have the
opportunity to participate in an appraisal process to determine the
value of their property, Danforth said.

If property owners do not agree with the compensation, they are granted
a 60-day window for further negotiations. After that period, the
property owner would have to go through an appeals process. 

By state law, the MDOT is required to compensate property owners for
the square foot unit value of their land and for additional
improvements to the property such as stone walls or other landscaping.

Town Councilor Sara Lennon said the proposed plans, with wide shoulders
and concrete dividers, would cause the area to look more like a
“divided highway” than a rural town center. Lennon suggested adding
plantings to the dividers and said “people may compromise on efficiency
for beauty.”

Mary Ann Lynch echoed her fellow councilor’s statements about
maintaining the area’s rural character. She said the intersection’s
proximity to schools poses a safety risk.

“There is a whole area of town where you don’t let kids walk or bike to school,” she said.

Cynthia Dill, councilor and chairman of the Roadway Safety/Traffic
Calming Working Group, said the town wants to encourage pedestrians of
all ages to go outside and walk.

Dill said a design workshop could further generate ideas on
constructing an intersection that is “safe, aesthetically pleasing and
serves the public in all ways.”