Westbrook, guy!

Westbrook, Guy!
The great S.D. Warren town. 2005-12-12

How come whenever I wanna take roadgeek photos everything's covered in snow?

Thumbnails open the snaps in a new window. Close to return here.

Heading out of Portland on ME-25.

In late summer, this assembly was broken, with the route markers on the ground leaning up against the snapped post. I had to fight the dark voices telling me to steal it.
A scene from Brighton Avenue. This was 4 lanes until 2001. Traffic went well over the posted 35 MPH. In the distance you can see the transition to 4 lanes for the Nason's Corner intersection.

The eastern end of Business [25], just over the city line into Westbrook.

Past the sprawl that is Exit 8. (Really Exit 48 now, but shhh!)

Entering the village on Main St / Business [25].
Bipping west along Main St, coming up on...

The so-called Westbrook Rotary.
Well, that's what the locals call it. It's more of a triangle of one-way streets going counter-clockwise
around a central block, but I guess that's good enough for Mainahs. It doesn't fully abide by the
rules of a circle or a roundabout, as outlined below...

	Eastbound Main St enters at left. Bus[25] west proceeds straight onto Cumberland St. Entering traffic has right of way.
	To the right of the building pictured above.
	Looking across Cumberland St at Warren Ave, a route into Portland. Traffic entering here yields. Note the double sided One Way, and older assembly in the background. Unusual font on the Speed Limit sign, and "yield for ped" text. Detail at right.
I didn't get any snaps of the junction of Cumberland St and the traffic triangle. Entering traffic yields there. Harnois Ave, the short side of the triangle, meets Main St. Traffic entering on Main St has right of way. I think some better channeling and one-o'them W4-3 Added Lane signs would be more appropriate than this Yield.

	<-- Same junction, further SW. Main St. is 2-way again.

	East on Main around the triangle, --> back to where we came in.

The west end of the Westbrook Arterial.

	Perspective from westbound Main St. / Business [25]. ME-25 does not join up here, but passes one block south where William Clarke Drive leaves the Arterial.
	Looking south (eastbound) along the Arterial from Main St. That's William Clarke Drive leaving to the right.
	Looking west at William Clarke Drive, the "intown relief road". Because all that traffic getting off the Arterial has to go somewhere.
	Facing north (westbound) on the Arterial approaching the Bill Clarke junction. And technically, I believe that oughtta be TO Business [25].

Old Portland Terminal right-of-way.

		William Clarke Drive was built mostly on an old rail grade. They run parallel for a short distance near the Arterial.
	Here the tracks are still visible crossing the Arterial. Another section, ahead, was paved over for the access road to the new municipal building.
		L: This r0x0r sign on Haskell St behind the municipal building hasn't been relevant in decades. R: A branch of the rail line that crossed Bill Clarke Dr. I've seen no evidence of it on old topo maps.
		The parallel rail grade comes to an end in a small clump of trees just before Stroudwater St. (Stroudwater? You brought`er!)

Business [25], Main Street USA.



	<-- Bridge & Main.

	BUSINESS [25] - w0ot! -->

A quick detour on Bridge St.

Old-sk0ol sign action at Bridge St. Spur.
Looks like it dates back to when Business [25] was [25] proper.

No right turn, eh? Bad truck geometry?

The icy waters of the Presumpcscot.

Saccarappa Falls.

Saccarappa Falls "Falling Towards the Rising Sun"
PREHISTORIC -	Landslides-Presumpscot River
1729 -	First Saw Mill
1739 -	First Permanent House-Jos. Conant
1830 -	Portland Manufacturing Co.
1867 -	Dana Warp Mills
Courtesy of Westbrook Woman's Club - 2003

Western terminus of Business [25].

Conant Street, Old ME-25.

		Looking NW (L) and SE (R) at the east end. The footpath to the NE of the trees is the old alignment of the road from Main St.
		Scenes heading west on old ME-25.
	Conant St returns to ME-25, a little further NW on Wayside Dr.

Going back east on ME-25 / William Clarke Drive

	Bill Clarke Drive & Saco St. A typical scene from ME-25.
	"Plea Ant St.?" And what're these 4-digit number plates that I've seen around...
	The ubiquitous Business District sign. For the love of God, just buy a #%@*in' coffee! Looking west near the end of the old rail line at Stroudwater St.

Westbrook Arterial, and Rand Road.

		Ascending to the pedestrian overpass at Stroudwater St.
		East (L) and west (R) views from the pedestrian overpass. I think I can say "High Power Wide" without getting smacked for infringement,
		East (L) and west (R) views from the Forest St. overpass. Left snap shows the route's only (half diamond) interchange.
	Channelization and trailblazers at the Forest St -> WBA onramp.
	Eastbound ME-25 departs to the left here on Larrabee Rd. The Arterial continues across I-95 into Portland, and becomes Rand Rd at the I-95 access rd. This extension opened in 2002, and IMNSHO ME-25 should have been routed onto it at that time.
	The end of Rand Rd at ME-25 / Brighton Ave, in Portland.

Back to The Maine Drag.

Route marker courtesy of Barry L. Camp.