AUBURN – A South Main Street turnpike interchange is no longer on local transit officials’ wish list.

A new downtown Lewiston-Auburn turnpike exit should go on either side of the Androscoggin River, according to a committee studying a new interchange. That group, a subcommittee of the Lewiston-Auburn Transit Committee, is scheduled to present the six remaining plans to the public at 7 p.m. Tuesday at 125 Manley Road, at the Androscoggin Valley Council of Government offices.

“We haven’t been trying to choose one as much as we’ve been trying to narrow the list,” said LATC Director Don Craig. The two Main Street plans had little traffic benefit for Maine Turnpike drivers but would change the face of the surrounding neighborhood.

“So we’re not recommending they go any further,” Craig said.

It will be up the state to evaluate the remaining plans and select a favorite. Craig said he hopes to give the study to the Maine Department of Transportation and the Turnpike Authority by December. A new interchange could open in five to 10 years, if they decide to go ahead.

There are two plans for building a full interchange, either on Auburn’s Riverside Drive or on Lewiston’s River Road.

A third plan would put a full interchange on the Auburn side and a half interchange across the river on River Road. The half interchange would let traffic to or from the south enter or exit there.

The next three plans also call for building an intercity bridge over the river, probably between the interchange and South Bridge. That bridge, combined with the three interchange possibilities, make up the final three suggestions.

Craig said he hoped to present the feasibility study to the Lewiston and Auburn city councils in October and present a final version to the transit committee by December.

The state “will do a full environmental assessment and come up with the best plan,” Craig said. That study could begin soon after they have the local study and should take about 18 months to complete.