. Photo: Matt Hill, City of Sanford
The Sanford Department of Public Works (DPW) hosted two open houses on March 19 to gather public input and provide updates on upcoming roadway projects along Grammar Road and High Street.
The High Street open house focused on reconstruction plans for Phase 2 of a three-phase project, covering the section from River Street to Brook Street. Planned work includes roadway and drainage improvements, tree trimming, removal of old pavement and subgrade, replacement with engineered materials, new asphalt paving, adjustments to underground utilities, and re-paving of driveway aprons. Construction is scheduled to begin this season, at which time the road will be closed to through traffic. Work is expected to continue through September. The city will also install signs such as “Local Traffic Only” and “Businesses Open” to maintain access to local establishments, including Paras Pizza.
Grammar Road, where work has already begun, will be rebuilt and resurfaced to improve drainage and overall safety. Work will include removing old pavement, repairing underground utilities as needed, replacing the road base with engineered materials, and installing new asphalt. Construction is planned in two phases. During the first phase, Grammar Road is closed to through traffic from Route 202 to Grammar Street. Alternating one-way traffic between Grammar Street and Route 4 is expected to follow. Work in this phase will continue through the end of June. The second phase is anticipated to begin following the completion of work on Cottage Street, around mid-August.
The Grammar Road session last week drew a large group of residents, many of whom expressed concerns about vehicle speeds along the corridor. Attendees noted that traffic already exceeds posted limits and worried that the planned reconstruction would make speeding worse.
Public Works Director Matt Hill acknowledged these concerns and said the city is taking steps to strengthen enforcement. DPW has recently acquired a dynamic speed enforcement trailer and is coordinating with the Police Department to reinstate a more visible speed enforcement program this season.
Safety concerns were also raised about the intersection of Grammar Road and Grammar Street. Residents described the area as hazardous, noting that school buses have reportedly avoided stopping there due to risks. Hill explained that the intersection does not currently meet Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) thresholds for designation as a high-crash location based on reported data. However, he noted that MaineDOT and the Federal Highway Administration are moving toward more proactive, predictive safety models, an approach aligned with Sanford’s recently adopted Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Safety Action Plan.
“Public Safety is our top priority,” Hill said. “We want to make sure that the city is addressing speeding and making our roads safer for everyone.” A request to MaineDOT to perform a speed study might result in an unintended increase in speed limit.
Under this framework, DPW plans to further evaluate the Grammar Road intersection for potential engineering improvements. Officials emphasized that driver responsibility remains critical, including adherence to posted speed limits and safe navigation of the intersection.
Kendra Williams, a resident who attended the Grammar Road event, praised the open house format. “This event was really well done and very informative,” she said. “It makes a big difference having the opportunity to speak with the Public Works team.”
Both projects are funded through a combination of municipal funding and the MaineDOT Municipal Partnership Initiative (MPI) program, which provides matching state funds to help communities improve key arterial and collector roadways.
City officials said community feedback gathered during the open houses will help guide the next steps as both projects move forward. As construction progresses, Public Works will continue to share information related to these projects. For more information, contact the Public Works department – sanfordmaine.org.
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