Maine

[vdeane]

Re:  #6

The change from South Portland/Maine Mall Road to "Maine Mall Rd/Payne Rd was part of a combined Portland area exit sign change for exits 45-48.  Prior to the change, you had several exits all labelled "Portland".  Exit 48 was "Portland/Westbrook", Exit 45 was under construction, and new Exit 46 was "Jetport/Portland".  Sometime shortly after Exit 45 opened, it was decided to change the "vaugeness" of Portland by getting specific with street names.  There were already signs that read "Portland use Exits 44, 46, 47, 48 / South Portland use Exits 45, 46" signs NB before Exit 44 and SB before Exit 48. 

Exit 44 (I-295) was changed when the express EZ-Pass conversion had Exit 1 to South Portland closed, so having South Portland signed on Exit 44 didn't make sense at the time, so it was greened out.  Now with the express lanes, one has to cut over relatively quick to get from those lanes to the South Portland exit.  And all that exit does is lead you onto the "Maine Turnpike Approach Road" which is the connector between Exit 45 and US 1.  The only difference is if you use Exit 45, there is no exit toll (entrance only). 

I thought exit 45 was the original and exit 44 was added when I-295 was built?

[shadyjay]

Exit 44 (I-295) was added later.  Its old # was 6A.  The only true Portland exit back then would've been what is now #48, as #45 was (and is once again) South Portland.  The Portland signage on the guide signs made more sense back then.  Now with multiple Portland exits, a little more description is prudent.

[deathtopumpkins]

OK...if it's technically now the Maine Turnpike at the Maine side of the Piscataqua River Bridge...

Are those three exits in Kittery (2 exits southbound) still considered toll free? I also wondered about Exit 7 in York, as that always came before the existing York toll plaza.

Yes, it will remain toll-free from exit 7 south.

[Stephane Dumas]

Btw, when Exit 63 (US-202, ME-26) near Gray was converted from a trumpet-T intersection interchange into a folded diamond/A4 parclo?

[yakra]

Btw, when Exit 63 (US-202, ME-26A) near Gray was converted from a trumpet-T intersection interchange into a folded diamond/A4 parclo?

2016-10-24

[fwydriver405]

Over the past three months, I have noticed that most of the guide signs along the entire Maine Turnpike have been replaced. The signs at Exit 25, 46, 47, and 48, as well as a southbound rest area sign between Exit 42 and 36 are still original and are the last few Maine Turnpike signs that are both signed with both miles and kilometres (dual units)...

My question is when the Exit 19 signs were replaced, why did Sanford disappear as a control city on the new Exit 19 signs and instead replaced with Ogunquit? I understand why they may have removed it from the southbound direction because the Exit 32 interchange now signs Biddeford and Sanford, but northbound I have no possible explanation why. Sanford is now posted on an auxiliary brown sign in addition to "Lakes Region".

[shadyjay]

Haven't seen any sign plans for Exit 19, Northbound.  Not sure why they aren't in the current NH state line to ~ MM 20 contract.  Also odd why Exit 25 got skipped.

Exits 46-48 are going to get replaced as part of the widening in that area over the next few years. 

Service Plaza signage is the last "phase" of sign replacement.  Again, not sure why it wasn't done when exits on either side of a plaza were re-signed.

[froggie]

Exits 46-48 are going to get replaced as part of the widening in that area over the next few years. 

Is it confirmed that said widening is going to happen?

[shadyjay]

Yup...
First portion, MM 43-46, now out to bid.  https://www.maineturnpike.com/Projects/Construction-Contracts/Portland-Area-Widening-Safety-Improvements-MM-43-0.aspx
Second portion, MM46-49, bid 3rd quarter 2020.

Widening won't extend all the way to the Falmouth Spur, but ending north of Exit 48 is a good compromise. 

Still not sure of why Exit 45 is being converted from a trumpet to a diamond.  Is a westward extension coming to fruition in the future?

[Alps]

Over the past three months, I have noticed that most of the guide signs along the entire Maine Turnpike have been replaced. The signs at Exit 25, 46, 47, and 48, as well as a southbound rest area sign between Exit 42 and 36 are still original and are the last few Maine Turnpike signs that are both signed with both miles and kilometres (dual units)...

My question is when the Exit 19 signs were replaced, why did Sanford disappear as a control city on the new Exit 19 signs and instead replaced with Ogunquit? I understand why they may have removed it from the southbound direction because the Exit 32 interchange now signs Biddeford and Sanford, but northbound I have no possible explanation why. Sanford is now posted on an auxiliary brown sign in addition to "Lakes Region".

My guess is NB was done to match SB.

[vdeane]

Yup...
First portion, MM 43-46, now out to bid.  https://www.maineturnpike.com/Projects/Construction-Contracts/Portland-Area-Widening-Safety-Improvements-MM-43-0.aspx
Second portion, MM46-49, bid 3rd quarter 2020.

Widening won't extend all the way to the Falmouth Spur, but ending north of Exit 48 is a good compromise. 

Still not sure of why Exit 45 is being converted from a free-flowing diamond (into/out of a limited access highway) to a diamond.  Is a westward extension coming to fruition in the future?

Maybe they got tired of people using that exit to shunpike the toll to exit directly onto I-295.

[yakra]

Exits 46-48 are going to get replaced as part of the widening in that area over the next few years. 

Is it confirmed that said widening is going to happen?

Construction is underway as we speak. Type. As we type.

[yakra]

Still not sure of why Exit 45 is being converted from a trumpet to a diamond.

Maybe they got tired of people using that exit to shunpike the toll to exit directly onto I-295.

Almost crapped a brick when I first saw shadyjay's post. But it's not so bad...
https://www.maineturnpike.com/Projects/Construction-Projects/2019-13-Exit-45-Preload-(1).aspx
https://www.maineturnpike.com/MaineTurnpike2012/files/a1/a16deb97-6f69-4710-a33d-54254493a614.jpg (1538x632)
It appears the shunpike movement will still be a free-flowing right turn, no stopping or yielding involved. And that's the only movement I care about, really.
Having the toll plazas on the ramps should keep traffic slower & more orderly; right now, people just fly right thru the mainline plaza area (as no stopping is required EB), 30 MPH speed limit be damned. People gawtta work theyah bub!
Once the old plaza is removed, it would make sense to straighten out the through lanes there. And hopefully increase the speed limit.

Is a westward extension coming to fruition in the future?

Maybe? The legislature overrode LePage's veto & passed a bill enabling the MTA to study one, at least. There were some enthusiastic newspaper articles around that time (maybe I posted a link upthread?) but I haven't seen much in a while; never seen any planned alignments, diagrams or anything.
The MTA does have a page for The Gorham East West Planning Project. I've just started reading the BIG BAD PDF; hopefully I'll come across something neato. Edit: Ha. Nope. It refers to 2010 in the future tense.

Worth noting that the new overpass skewing more to the south (left in the image above) will set things up for an extension south of Target and toward Running Hill Rd.

Edit: Removed IMG tag from oversized image; replaced with a link.

[Stephane Dumas]

Sorry if it was already posted.

I saw this PDF report, I don't know if Maine Tpk changed their plans but they published some ideas of improvements of Exit 36 (former Exit 5 who link to I-195, who once desserved ME-112) and one alternative is a C-D setup to put ramp with ME-112 and another suggested a short I-195 western extension.
https://maineturnpike.com/MaineTurnpike2012/media/PDFs/Saco_Final-Report_FINAL_7-22-19.pdf

[vdeane]

Looking at the comparison of alternatives, my guess is they would go with the modification of the exit with the c/d lanes, possibly with the ME 112/ME 5 connector road depending on funding.

[Roadwarriors79]

OK...if it's technically now the Maine Turnpike at the Maine side of the Piscataqua River Bridge...

Are those three exits in Kittery (2 exits southbound) still considered toll free? I also wondered about Exit 7 in York, as that always came before the existing York toll plaza.

All the exits south of the York toll plaza are toll-free.

[KEVIN_224]

Right. I know about the existing York plaza. BTW, how close are they with the new toll plaza further north? (Haven't been in ME since March 2019).

[shadyjay]

Looks like some good progress is being made.  At least one direction of the ORT has been put up.  I believe traffic is still shifted to the right, through what will be the future cash lanes.  Then at some point will be shifted back to the middle once the ORT gantries are up so that booth construction can occur.

See https://www.buildingabettergateway.com/ or https://www.maineturnpike.com/Projects/Construction-Projects/2018-20-York-Toll-Plaza-Replacement-Project-Conver.aspx

[yakra]

The traffic signals at Portland's infamous 6-way intersection by the USM campus have been removed completely as work progresses on the conversion to a roundabout.
Whole friggin' thing's gravel bub.
Traffic on Brighton Ave flows through unimpeded in both directions; cones are placed along the center line to discourage left turns.
Deering Ave is closed between the * and Bedford St, resulting in ME25 being detoured via Brighton & Bedford, which may now be in the early stages of permanent 2-way traffic.
Both legs of Falmouth St are closed heading into the intersection, open heading out. Not that this bothers some motorists; they'll just drive in the left lane for 740 feet (from the barricade at Oakdale) then weave their way through the cones.
Southbound Deering Ave is detoured onto Fessenden, but not anywhere else from Fessenden.
Northbound Deering can still leave the intersection. On the right as we do so, the sidewalk has been demolished adjacent to the first parcel.
(2011 Street View) The tree on the right, the drainage grate, the utility pole @ left, all gone; the fire hydrant relocated. The whole corner is rounded off past the desire line to the base of the tree at left. Its leaves are hanging over the edge of the sod into the roadway.

The ultimate plan calls for an elongated, elliptical 5-legged roundabout, with the end of Brighton demolished and added to Bedford Park. Deering will have a left turn lane for Bedford, and the end of Bedford will be a right-turn-only lane; traffic from Bedford wanting to turn left onto Deering will have to use the roundabout and reverse direction.

[Alps]

The traffic signals at Portland's infamous 6-way intersection by the USM campus have been removed completely as work progresses on the conversion to a roundabout.
Whole friggin' thing's gravel bub.
Traffic on Brighton Ave flows through unimpeded in both directions; cones are placed along the center line to discourage left turns.
Deering Ave is closed between the * and Bedford St, resulting in ME25 being detoured via Brighton & Bedford, which may now be in the early stages of permanent 2-way traffic.
Both legs of Falmouth St are closed heading into the intersection, open heading out. Not that this bothers some motorists; they'll just drive in the left lane for 740 feet (from the barricade at Oakdale) then weave their way through the cones.
Southbound Deering Ave is detoured onto Fessenden, but not anywhere else from Fessenden.
Northbound Deering can still leave the intersection. On the right as we do so, the sidewalk has been demolished adjacent to the first parcel.
(2011 Street View) The tree on the right, the drainage grate, the utility pole @ left, all gone; the fire hydrant relocated. The whole corner is rounded off past the desire line to the base of the tree at left. Its leaves are hanging over the edge of the sod into the roadway.

The ultimate plan calls for an elongated, elliptical 5-legged roundabout, with the end of Brighton demolished and added to Bedford Park. Deering will have a left turn lane for Bedford, and the end of Bedford will be a right-turn-only lane; traffic from Bedford wanting to turn left onto Deering will have to use the roundabout and reverse direction.

Whenever Canada is open, I look forward to traipsing through this way.

[froggie]

traffic from Bedford wanting to turn left onto Deering will have to use the roundabout and reverse direction.

I can't imagine there's a lot of traffic making that movement, and I would expect most of it is traffic coming down Forest Ave heading to the hospital (who could also hop on Deering at Woodfords Corner).

[yakra]

Back in my cab driving years, I had some passengers who wanted to go that way (complete with the sharp Brighton->Deering turn) from the Hannaford supermarket to, meh... Park Ave? Somewhere near Hadlock Field? Or even East of Deering Ave? Didn't make much sense to me, but hey, you da boss!
Hannaford to Chamberlain/Surrenden/Washburn/Granite or the bottom of a few perpendicular streets seems about the only utility of this movement.

TL;DR: Agreed.

[yakra]

Dude bub guy they finally put a traffic light at Washin'on an' Fawkes!

[fwydriver405]

So lately, I've been noticing that MaineDOT has been very inconsistent between installing 5-section doghouses and FYA for protected-permissive left turns, even though starting in 2019, I was told MaineDOT policy was that FYA shall be used for all new PPLT operation with a dedicated left-turn lane. However, I've been seeing a lot of new doghouses (and other yield on green signals) on new installs with dedicated LT lanes... some places like Bangor at Main and Union St introducing a yellow trap hazard where none even existed before*.

One hypothesis I may have is maybe they never bothered changing out the controller when the replaced the actual signals?

Also FYI, in most cases, under a new policy, MaineDOT will not allow protected/permissive left turns across 2+ oncoming thru lanes. Those have to be set to full-time protected only (I asked about using TOD phasing with FYA... they said special signage is needed for that kind of operation).

*Using lead-lag phasing, the left turn from northbound Main St to westbound Union St used to be protected only via sign for the leading direction, and the left turn from southbound Main St to eastbound Union St was permissive-protected. The phasing for the new signals were unchanged, however, both directions are now yield on green, and yellow trap occurs from the NB Main St to WB Union St left turn movement.

[froggie]

Is it possible that some of those doghouse installs (like your Bangor example) are city installs and not MaineDOT?