News Release for December 5, 2008
For More Information:
Mark Latti, MaineDOT Office of Communications - 207-624-3030, 207-592-1339 cell

Ceremony Marks Opening Of Bypass

More than six months ahead of schedule, MaineDOT Commissioner David Cole and town and federal officials opened the Gorham Bypass in a brief ceremony this afternoon in Gorham.

“The Gorham community and MaineDOT worked together as partners on this project since its inception,” said MaineDOT Commissioner David Cole. “The early completion of this multi-million dollar project is a testament to what can be done when we work together on transportation challenges.”

The Gorham Bypass, which is now part of Route 112, is designed to alleviate traffic congestion in the Gorham town center at the intersection of Routes 202/4 and Route 25. The bypass is expected to carry over 7,200 vehicles a day. The 3.4-mile addition to Route 112 begins approximately two miles south of the Gorham town center on the west side of Route 114 and runs 3.4 miles in a northerly direction around the western side of Gorham, where it connects with Routes 202/4 and Route 25.

Construction on this $28 million project began in August of 2007 and wasn’t expected to be completed until mid-June of 2009. The early completion allows motorists to use the bypass throughout the winter. The bypass will close for several days late in the spring in order for the contractor to place a top layer of pavement on part of the project. The bypass includes three roundabouts. These roundabouts are located at either end of the bypass, as well as the intersection of Route 112 and Routes 4/202.

Participants in the ribbon cutting ceremony included Commissioner Cole; Jonathan McDade, Maine Division Administrator for the Federal Highway Administration; Matt Robinson, Gorham Town Council Chairperson; and Burleigh Loveitt, Gorham Town Councilor and member of the Bypass Public Advisory Committee. Shaw Brothers of Gorham was the contractor for the roadwork involved in this project, and Technical Construction, Inc, of Turner was the contractor for the Flaggy Meadow Bridge. Roundabouts are capable of handling traffic more efficiently than signaled intersections. They are less costly to maintain than traffic signals and crash statistics show they are significantly safer.The three Gorham roundabouts are the latest in a series of roundabouts that have been constructed around the state. Construction is nearing completion on a roundabout at Cony Circle in Augusta, and there are already roundabouts in Calais, Presque Isle, Little Falls in Gorham and Sanford.

Roundabouts are smaller than rotaries, and the lanes are marked differently. Motorists entering a roundabout should always yield to motorists in a roundabout, they should stay in marked lanes, and drivers entering a roundabout should know their destination and watch for directional signs in the roundabout.

For more information on driving roundabouts as well as detailed diagrams, please visit the MaineDOT website at www.mainedot.gov.

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