The Sun Journal article of Jan. 18 about car crashes on Route 202 should cause motorists to drive that road with greater care. The article may save lives and provide a valuable public service.

The story appropriately mentioned that the Maine Turnpike is, by far, a safer alternative to Route 202 for those who travel the distance between Lewiston and Augusta. The relative safety of the Turnpike cannot be over-emphasized.

The last time anyone died on the Turnpike north of Auburn was on Nov. 19, 2009, when a driver under the influence of alcohol and marijuana drove into a barrier at 120 mph while evading police.

In the full five-year period since then, from 2010 through 2014, 18.1 million vehicles traveled the Turnpike between Sabattus and Gardiner, and 31.7 million traveled between Auburn and Lewiston. Yet no one died.

During that period on Route 202, many people died and many more were injured in a number of serious crashes.

While Route 202 is as safe as Maine DOT can reasonably make it, it will always be a local highway with two lanes of fast opposing traffic — a busy route passing through bustling towns with numerous intersections and many driveways injecting vehicles from adjoining homes, stores, farms, businesses and parking lots. Commuters from Lewiston drive against the sun, going and coming. There is little that anyone can do to make it safer.

Route 202 is a country version of Boston’s Route 1 — but without the Captain Morgan billboards.

Route 202 can never compare with the Turnpike’s divided median, guard rail protection, controlled access interchanges, clear zones on either side, absence of distractions, and round-the-clock weather and traffic monitoring.

People who live along Route 202 in Greene or Monmouth may not be able to use the Turnpike, but commuters who travel the full distance between Lewiston and Augusta do have a choice.

There is a lot of understandable hostility in the L-A area for having to pay a toll to get out of town on the Turnpike, going either north or south. At least the Turnpike is free between Auburn and Sabattus, a privilege not enjoyed by Greater Portland. Since adopting a new discount program for Maine E-ZPass customers, we find that 66 percent of the cost to operate the Turnpike is now being paid by out-of-state traffic.

Some may choose Route 202 out of reluctance to pay the toll, but the Turnpike has made the toll remarkably affordable for Maine commuters.

When you invest $10 in a Maine E-ZPass transponder, the toll from Auburn to Augusta drops from $1.75 to $1.25. For daily commuters (those whose families use the Turnpike 40 or more times per month), the E-ZPass rate drops by half to 63 cents — about 2 cents a mile.

For that 63 cents, a driver can:

• avoid traffic from more than 100 local roads that intersect Route 202;

• avoid hundreds of driveways;

• avoid 10 traffic lights;

• travel safely at 70 miles per hour;

• arrive sooner;

• burn less gas; and

• reduce substantially the chance of having an accident.

While the risk of dying on the Turnpike is not zero, it is as close to zero as careful highway engineering can make it.

Not a bad value for 63 cents.

Peter Mills is executive director of the Maine Turnpike Authority.

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