In 2017, the state Legislature enacted L.D. 905, which authorized the MTA to construct a turnpike connector to Gorham. A memorandum of agreement was signed by all involved municipalities in 2022, which obligated each one to support the MTA in completing the project. As of today, the Legislature has not rescinded this order, but the MTA has stopped the project.

In 2019, Gorham purchased a 141-acre parcel with the goal of expanding the existing Industrial Park to broaden the town’s tax base. This, in conjunction with the Gorham turnpike connector would create further economic opportunities through non-residential development, and offer the opportunity for additional commercial expansion.

Currently, turnpike traffic is directed toward Exit 42, the Scarborough/Gorham off ramp, where traffic then heads toward Gorham via Route 114. This traffic passes The Downs project and various other Scarborough businesses, where commuters could stop and spend money. This traffic could have benefited and supported expanded commercial business in Gorham with the connector coming to fruition and bypassing Scarborough.

Per the 2022 memorandum of agreement, all involved municipalities agreed to: Explain the benefits of the connector for safety and mobility needs, land use goals, and to support past studies and agreements. On Oct. 2, 2024, the Scarborough Town Council violated its signed agreement by voting 6-1 to rescind its support for the project. Since then, the MTA announced that it would stop the Gorham Connector project on March 6, 2025.

Gorham has made investments, allocated town resources, and stands to lose out with future development opportunities that were centered around this project. The connector would offer direct routes to Maine Med, Northern Light, and other medical and surgical facilities, which would reduce travel time for our aging community members and those requiring ambulatory services.

In the past year alone, the Gorham Town Council has approved approximately 2,000 housing units to be built, with agreements that allow faster build-out times. Other communities to the west are not halting their development, and I fear Gorham has been critically and negatively impacted by the decisions of the MTA and the town of Scarborough.

Philip T. Gagnon
Gorham town councilor