CAPE ELIZABETH — Town officials are working on a “complete streets” project that will bring improvements to Scott Dyer Road and Shore Road.

Last month the Town Council approved an update to the town’s five-year roadway priorities plan after hearing a presentation from Public Works Director Bob Malley. The plan was first approved in 2013 and was updated to include a complete streets plan.

Complete streets are roads designed not only for motor vehicle traffic, but for bicyclists and pedestrians as well. According to the town website, the plan would also take drainage, sidewalks, trees and lighting into consideration.

“Scott Dyer’s probably our third-busiest road behind Route 77 and Shore Road,” Malley said. “It’s a major connector from the neighborhoods of the shorefront up to the recycling center and the school campus, and that includes Hill Way, so we really need to look comprehensively.”

The project would cost around $355,000, which would be factored into next year’s budget. An engineering study is being planned so more information can be gathered on how the street would be redone.

Scott Dyer Road has recently undergone a three-year water main replacement project, and Malley said the next step is to repave it. Under the roadway priorities plan, several roads have already been repaved, including Spurwink Avenue and Sawyer, Charles E. Jordan, Old Ocean House and Fowler roads.

Malley said Scott Dyer and Shore roads are the next priorities.

A portion of Shore Road was repaved Oct. 27, but it wasn’t a regular paving project. According to the town website, a thin layer of asphalt was smoothed over the road between Stonybrook Road and Birch Knolls so the road can be easily plowed this winter.

“The pavement condition in both travel lanes was in pretty tough shape, and we had received several citizen contacts requesting some remediation on that section,” Malley said.

The road will be fully repaved in 2018 after the Portland Water District is scheduled to finish replacing a water main.

“We did not want to make a substantial investment in new pavement until after their work is completed,” Malley said.

The cost of the roadway priorities plan is $2.5 million, according to the town website, with $500,000 allotted for each year of the plan. All but $100,000 is for repaving which, according to Malley, costs about $114,000 for a typical road.

He said the town should have enough funds for the paving projects being planned.

“When you have a paving budget of $400,000, you can do the math and realize that it doesn’t go that far, but we try to make excellent use of those dollars and spread them out as wisely as we can,” Malley said.

Kate Gardner can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 125 or kgardner@theforecaster.net. Follow her on Twitter: @katevgardner.

The Cape Elizabeth Town Council has approved making Scott Dyer Road a complete street under a five-year roadway priorities plan.

The Public Works Department recently repaired a portion of Shore Road in Cape Elizabeth, but plans to do a full repaving project in 2018.

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