BIDDEFORD — The Biddeford City Council recently approved entering an agreement with

the Maine Department of Transportation and the Maine Turnpike Authority to study the possibilities of a South Street connector to the Maine Turnpike.

No councilors spoke on the proposal, but the prospect of a connector drew comment from the public and from some members of the Biddeford Conservation Commission.

The Dec. 1 vote was 6 to 1, with Councilor Doris Ortiz dissenting. Two councilors, William Emhiser and Amy Clearwater, were absent.

The study will include an evaluation of a new South Street connector in Biddeford between South Street and Route 111 west of I-95, to relieve congestion along Route 111 and support economic development opportunities, according to a memo from Planning and Development Director Mathew Eddy.

The study “will identify potential routes for a connector, prepare cost estimates for the new roadway, complete a preliminary assessment of impacts, and identify potential weaknesses related to required state and federal regulatory processes,” Eddy said.

The study will include a traffic analysis and evaluate new connector alternatives with and without long-term Exit 32 improvements planned by the MTA, Eddy wrote in the memo.

The cost is $125,000, with the city taking its $25,000 share from dredge project funds; MDOT would contribute $75,000, and MTA, $25,000.

Conservation Commission Secretary Kenneth Buechs said the potential project would have a significant impact on the character of the South Street neighborhood, through the possibility of long time construction, heavy equipment and noise disturbance, disruption of habitat and natural resources, and possible land-taking.

“I searched the Comprehensive Plan and found no reference to this,” in either the current plan or in the draft version of the proposed new plan, Buechs said. The spur initiative was introduced by the city manager following a presentation on a 566-unit South Street Village proposal presented in June, Buechs said, in which the developer highlighted the spur as an integral part of the project. He said the project was lacking transparency to the public, in part because of the difficulty of accessing and speaking at city government meetings which are being held remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I recognize that congestion is a legitimate problem and so there is value in looking for a way to solve that problem,” Buechs added.

Noting that the study would include a review traffic volume based on traditional growth forecasts, Meaghan Daly urged that it also consider climate change-related initiatives aimed at reducing vehicle miles.

Resident Richard Rhames said the spur proposal has been around for some time, surfacing periodically over the years.

“(If) you build this infrastructure, you are basically nuking the largest unpenetrated block in Biddeford, that has significant habitat values, upstream from the Saco River and downstream from city’s old landfill,” said Rhames. He said the MTA has looked at the area repeatedly over the years, “the concern was there were environmental issues trying to pound a turnpike exit there.”

“For many reasons … this very expensive subsidy to the car culture is not what we should be doing right now,” Rhames said.

Eddy said the city’s role in the project would be to manage the analysis process, and would likely have Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission undertake that process.

The contract calls for a study committee to meet up to six times during the course of the planning process,

“Because of the location and nature of this project, public participation is important,” Eddy wrote in the memo.