GORHAM – A bumpy section of New Portland Road in Gorham near the Westbrook city line has been approved for a long-needed rebuild.

In a special meeting on Tuesday afternoon, Gorham town councilors voted 4-0 (Ben Hartwell, Suzanne Phillips and Matthew Robinson absent) to award a contract not to exceed $249,900 to Shaw Brothers Construction Inc. of Gorham to fix a stretch of the road.

Town Manager David Cole said the town received five bids on the road project.

Robert Burns, Gorham Public Works Department director, said before the meeting that 1,350 feet of New Portland Road would be reconstructed.

“It’s horrible” from the intersection of Lowell and Bartlett roads to the Westbrook line, Burns said.

In the reconstruction, Burns said soil cement would be added to reclaimed material and topped with four inches of asphalt pavement. Burns also said the project would include ditch work.

“I don’t anticipate any blasting,” he said.

The state and town will participate in a 50-50 cost sharing to cover reconstruction costs.

New Portland Road is classified as an arterial in Gorham and is a heavily traveled commuter route linking Gorham Village with Westbrook. People have been asking about the New Portland Road project for a number of years, Cole said in the meeting.

In other action, the Town Council recognized Shaw Earthworks, also a Gorham firm, as the lowest responsible bidder to replace a crossroad culvert on County Road for an amount not to exceed $30,000. The board approved that project 5-0 (Phillips and Robinson absent).

Tuesday’s special Town Council meeting convened shortly after 4 p.m. with only the two items on its agenda and adjourned speedily.