While the Maine Department of Transportation has identified 28 projects in Bridgton, Naples, Standish and Windham in its three-year work plan, three projects stand out for their importance to the commuting public: Realigning a North Windham intersection, rebuilding a stretch of dangerous Standish road and repaving a long section of Route 202 in Windham and Gray.

Last week, the Maine Department of Transportation released its statewide three-year work plan that includes 2,184 projects for improving and maintaining roads, bridges, and other modes of transportation at a cost of $2.2 billion.

The $1.2 million realignment of the intersection of Route 302, Anglers Road and Whites Bridge Road is set to start this spring or summer after many years of town leaders pushing the state to start the project.

The project has been in the works for at least 15 years, according to Town Manager Tony Plante. It will be undertaken as a partnership between the state and the town of Windham, Plante said.

According to Plante, because Anglers Road and Whites Bridge Road are offset from one another, the town identified the intersection as a safety and efficiency concern. Rebuilding Anglers Road so it aligns with Whites Bridge Road will create a standard four-way intersection, making the intersection safer and improving traffic flow.

Plante said the project was delayed for more than a decade because at the time the town first discussed the redevelopment of the intersection, Anglers Road was privately owned, meaning state and federal money could not be used to improve it. The problem was solved when, about seven years ago, the Windham Economic Development Corp. purchased 10 acres of land across from Whites Bridge Road, then transferred a portion of it to the town for the relocation of Anglers Road.

Plante said the intersection will also be improved with new and more traffic signals. He said the reconstruction and minor landscaping of the intersection will create a gateway into North Windham from the north and west.

Tom Bartell, executive director of the corporation and the town’s economic develoment director, said the group plans to subdivide the land adjacent to Anglers Road this spring.

Bartell said the group’s vision is to construct three office buildings on the property, although he said the group is “open to anything.” The town bought the land for $500,000 about five years ago from a local developer.

Plante said the town is putting out a bid for construction of the new intersection in February, and expects to begin construction in the spring. He said he hopes “to get as much done on Route 302 as possible before summer gets started.”

In Standish, highway safety improvements will take place on Route 35 between routes 114 and 237, a twisty, undulating stretch of road along the Lower Bay of Sebago Lake that has seen several serious crashes. The cost of the roadwork is estimated at $4.4 million and will start in either 2017 or 2018.

State Sen. Bill Diamond, who represents Standish, said he was pleased to see this section of Route 35 on the list of projects for construction.

“The visibility and layout of the road is really bad,” Diamond said. “There have been a number of deaths and a lot of accidents.”

One of those fatalities occurred four years ago, when Clark Noonan, then a sophomore at Saint Joseph’s College, died while a passenger in a car filled with students driving back to the school after attending a party in Sebago. The accident occurred when the car Noonan was traveling in crossed into the opposite lane and became entangled in a roadside chain link fence at about 1:30 a.m.

Another major accident in 2009 involving two vehicles and a loaded logging truck occurred on the same stretch of road. No one was killed in the accident, which occurred when a car, attempting to pass another vehicle, collided with the oncoming truck.

Gordon Billington, town manager of Standish since 2000, said the reconstruction of Route 35 has been “the town’s No. 1 priority for the DOT since I’ve been town manager.”

Billington referred to the stretch of road as a “prime accident location” in the town, and said he’s looking forward to having that stretch improved.

The other major project for the area includes repaving a 7.42-mile section of Route 202 in Windham and Gray. The $2.68 million project will start near the routes 202/302 rotary and extend eastward into Gray. Construction is slated to start in spring or summer of this year.

Doug Fortier, Windham’s director of public works, said Route 202 is an arterial road, which means it typically carries a lot of traffic. Fortier has been director for 12 years, and this stretch of Route 202 has not been repaved during his tenure, he said.

“The pavement has deteriorated,” he said, “and it needs to be paved.”

According to Fortier, weather – especially the freeze and thaw of water in pavement cracks – takes a big toll on the roads, which makes it necessary to maintain them regularly.

Route 202 in Windham after exiting the routes 302 and 202 rotary. Repaving of the road up to Gray will start this year, according to the state’s work plan. The intersection of Anglers Road, Whites Bridge Road, and Route 302. Improvement at this intersection is one of the town’s upcoming projects, according to Town Manager Tony Plante.