Augusta – The Maine Department of Transportation has released the Interstate 295 Recommendation Report for the Scarborough to Brunswick corridor. As traffic volumes have grown on I-295, congestion, incidents and the number of crashes have increased. Also, the reliability of travel times on the corridor has decreased.

The recommendations in this report are grouped into three categories:

  • Near-Term Improvements: These would be cost-effective actions that can have an immediate benefit to safety or mobility with a minimum of environmental issues.
  • Mid-Term Improvements: Implementation of improvements of three to ten years out.
  • Long-Term Improvements: Implementation of improvements of greater than 10 years.

“It’s important to think of ways to address the increased volume of traffic on this stretch of I-295 along with the different challenges that increase brings,” said MaineDOT Chief Engineer Joyce Taylor. “While we believe there are steps we can make fairly quickly, we also need to look long term as the forecasted population and employment growth in Portland and surround communities is expected to increase travel on I-295 by about 20% by 2040.”

Some examples of the near-term improvements include the extension of acceleration and deceleration lanes. This would extend the lanes, allowing more space to merge onto the highway as well as longer lanes to exit. Also, installing Variable Message Signs in advance of interchanges to alert motorists to road conditions ahead, allowing the driver to make an informed decision about seeking an alternate route.

This I-295 Recommendation Report is an important step in the continuing effort to address increased traffic volumes on the most populated section of the highway.

You can view the report here: http://www.maine.gov/mdot/docs/2018/mainedot-I-295-corridor-update-report.pdf