Transportation Improvements in Motion

Council Corner: Transportation Improvements in Motion

By Nick McGee, Town Council 

In my last Councilor Corner article, I focused on the Growth Management Ordinance work that had been underway to address the pace of growth within the community. While the proposed changes are still going through the Council paces, I thought this would be a good opportunity to highlight the work the Transportation Committee is taking on to help offset the impacts of increased population and rapid development within the community.  

While many committees, such as Conservation Commission, Long Range Planning and Community Services Advisory Board all play a large role in ensuring we do not diminish our ability to access and enjoy public amenities, Transportation will play a very prominent role in the years to come.

First, we need to understand where our “pinch points” are (i.e. TRAFFIC!). Alongside the 30+ intersections slated to receive improvements over the next two years in coordination with the Traffic Movement Permit related to the Downs Project, I’m happy to report that a town-wide road and traffic study is currently underway. This work will surely help us identify areas for improvements, create plans of action and lead to a cohesive and comprehensive approach to improving the transportation infrastructure in town. There will be a large public outreach component to this effort, as the Transportation Committee wants to engage the public to help identify areas of concerns, issues, and opportunities regarding our transportation network.   

Additionally, transportation involves much more than just the use of vehicles on our roadways. Access to trails, bike paths and pedestrian routes are on deck for assessment and improvements across the community. The Transportation Committee will be appointing an Ad-Hoc Trails and Bike Byways subcommittee to identify access points to trail heads, opportunities for increasing pedestrian access and other local improvements that can encourage non-motorized activities, focusing on accessibility and safety. This work will feature outreach to various committees in the Town to better understand accessibility issues and opportunities for our many natural amenities in Scarborough. The end product will result in a user-friendly map as well as some recommendations for possible enhancements for action in the future.

For a look at the wide array of projects happening within Scarborough’s public right-of-ways, currently and in upcoming years, check out the Scarborough Transportation Improvements map on the Town website. The map is on the Transportation page of the Engineering department section of the website.

If you are interested in contributing to this upcoming work, please reach out to our Town Engineer, Angela Blanchette (ablanchette@scarboroughmaine.org).  

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Scarborough Town Council.