WINDHAM – River Road in Windham – the scene of accidents, tragic pedestrian deaths and a bane to many Lakes Region drivers commuting to Westbrook and Portland – received a dubious accolade last week: It was the inspiration for a third-place winning essay in the Worst Roads in Maine contest.

John Mancini, a Gorham resident and frequent user of the heavily traveled secondary road, won third place for his essay on the road’s dangerous conditions. In it, Mancini used colorful and descriptive language to describe the decaying state of the roadway and general hazards that await drivers who dare drive the 10-mile stretch from North Windham to Westbrook.

Mancini, a longtime Westbrook resident who for years commuted to the Maine Correctional Center via River Road, wrote in his piece, “I’ve had my fair share of bumps, tilts, slides and downright wows!!”

He also described the road as causing “waves of destruction” for motorists, and that the “wilding” road is infamous throughout Greater Portland from the “coast of Commercial Street to the bass fishing in Sebago Lake.”

Mancini, who now works in Westbrook at a Maine Medical Center facility and is glad he doesn’t have to tackle the road on a daily basis, said River Road requires attentiveness and driver skill to avoid the pockmarks of potholes, patches and ruts.

“It’s just a unique road,” Mancini said. “It’s notorious for accidents. The road is crumbling and even if you know the road, it’s still dangerous.”

Because of the dangers, Mancini said he tries to avoid it whenever possible, especially when tired and not able to give the road the attention it requires. When visiting family in North Windham, he’ll drive Route 237 through Gorham in order to access North Windham via Route 35 through Standish. Or he’ll drive from Gorham into Windham on Route 202 and take a left at the rotary onto Route 302.

To enter the contest, Mancini also had to provide a photograph highlighting the state of the roadway, which he didn’t find hard to do.

“I learned about the contest on some TV station or Internet site, I can’t remember. But when I saw it, I knew immediately, River Road is Maine’s worst road,” Mancini said. “I went out and got a picture near the beginning of the road, I certainly didn’t have to go too far.”

If he had to name one overarching problem with River Road, it’d be the crowning.

“It just pulls you into the ditch if you’re not paying attention,” he said. “When you’re on River Road, you don’t enjoy the scenery. You drive your car, or it’ll drive you, right into the ditch.”

The contest – which is sponsored by the Maine Better Transportation Association, a private, nonprofit lobbying association for industries that have a stake in good roads – is an attempt by the organization to bring attention to Maine’s crumbing road system. According to Executive Director Maria Fuentes, the response from people like Mancini to the contest was overwhelming.

“The objective is to raise awareness of how roads affect the economy, jobs and safety,” Fuentes said. “The response to the contest really humanizes it. It shows people all over the state are concerned about the state of Maine’s roads.”?Fuentes says the issue of roads hits people where it hurts, in the wallet, and she likens the per-capita financial impact as a sort of tax on Mainers.

“Almost everyone depends on roads. We estimate the average annual car repair bill is $251, due to bad roads. It’s definitely hitting people in their pocketbooks,” Fuentes said.

Fuentes, who was one of the judges of the contest, remembers Mancini’s use of descriptive words and that he followed up on occasion by calling.

“He is convinced River Road is Maine’s worst road,” Fuentes said.

Despite its condition, the River Road essay failed to win the top prize, which was a $250 gift certificate good toward car repairs. Instead, Martha Jordan of Turner won for her essay regarding Route 219 between Turner and Leeds.

Asked if northern and central Maine had the worst roads due to tougher winters, Fuentes said, “No, you’d be surprised, western Maine is where we find the worst roads.”

Mancini, who lived in the Philippines and became accustomed to driving that country’s horrendous roads, is looking forward to the future when River Road is a beautiful scenic drive, something that may happen in coming years if the timeline adopted by the Maine Department of Transportation goes into effect.

According to DOT project manager Ernest Martin, the project has been given the go-ahead, although reconstruction of the road is years off, possibly 2012 if funding from the Maine Legislature can be secured.

A community group has also been established to gain design input. The River Road Project Advisory Committee, made up of town officials and roadway residents interested in fixing the road, has met four times since May and is identifying concerns and issues relating to the eventual roadway reconstruction.

Gorham resident John Mancini has a long history with Windham’s River Road, some of it harrowing such as the time he skidded off the road near the intersection with Anderson Road. Mancini wrote about the condition of the major commuter corridor from the Lakes Region into Westbrook and took third place in the Worst Road in Maine contest. (Staff photo by John Balentine)