Dangers of Route 4 argued in legislative hearing

Dangers of Route 4 argued in legislative hearing

AUBURN, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Over the years, a number of studies have been done on the stretch of Route 4 between Auburn and Turner; residents say it’s a dangerous area, where speeds range from 35-55 miles per hour.

According to numbers from the Department of Transportation, around 21,000 vehicles travel that stretch daily.

Auburn residents and mayor, Jonathan LaBonte teamed up with Senator John Cleveland to introduce a bill that would direct the DOT and the Turnpike Authority to collaborate on a study to make that section of road safer.

However, both the DOT and Turnpike Authority say they’ve done studies, and Route 4 just isn’t a high priority.

Many residents testified to the Committee on Transportation today about the bill, specifically speaking about a high risk left turn onto Lake Shore Drive.

The committee will continue to debate the resolve in work session, if they decide to go ahead with the study, the DOT and Turnpike Authority will need to report their results by January of 2014.