TURNER – Route 4 near the Auburn line, one of the busiest stretches in the area, has been cut from four lanes to two, with a turning lane in the middle.

Some people hope the dramatic change will force drivers to slow down.

“I wanted a blinking yellow light,” said Bill Hird, owner of the Chick-A-Dee Restaurant on Route 4. “I think this’ll be the next best thing.”

The state announced the change last fall. K&K Excavation, which is working on a commercial site in the area, started the road project this week. The striping was expected to be finished Friday, and shoulder work done next week, K&K officials said.

When finished, the stretch of road will have a northbound lane, a southbound lane and a center turning lane that will be used by both sides of traffic.

When they proposed the change, state officials said it would cut down on speeders, some of whom fly through the area at 75 mph. They also said it would improve safety since turning traffic won’t obstruct the flow of cars.

Turner Town Manager James Catlin thinks the lane-reduction will be good for the area. Still, he admits, “It’s going to take time for people to get used to. It is a change.”

Officials at the Androscoggin Bank branch have heard some complaints from customers. Even during construction, drivers continued to speed and some bank customers wondered whether the lane reduction would really change that. One woman was concerned that impatient drivers would simply start using the turning lane as a passing lane.

But Bill Denehy, senior vice president for retail banking, believes the road change will benefit his customers, once they get used to it.

“The center lane might help people out,” he said. “Before, you had to wait for two lanes of traffic to go by (before turning).”

At the Chick-A-Dee, Hird liked the changes, too. For more than 30 years, he said, he’s seen people take the stretch at highway speeds. Merging will take some getting used to, he said, but it needs to be done.

“They need to slow down,” he said.