GORHAM – Town councilors are seeking more information about a proposed 8.2-mile toll road that would link Gorham village to South Portland’s Maine Mall area and the Maine Turnpike.

The limited-access road is seen as a way to provide relief for thousands of residents who face long and difficult commutes to the Portland area.

“There’s an awful lot of development out here. It’s not going to go away,” said Michael Phinney, Town Council chairman. “This is one of the heaviest-traveled stretches of nonhighway in the state. Traffic is just going to get worse and worse.”

Critics said the proposed toll road is no solution because improved travel to Gorham and points west of Portland would simply encourage development and promote more sprawl.

“A new toll road from Portland to Gorham would have a huge impact on the community character,” said George Thebarge, a member of the planning committee of Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation Committee, or PACTS. “Long-range recommendations ought not promote sprawl, even if it doesn’t do anything to limit sprawl.”

A 10-page study of the toll road idea was prepared in April by the Maine Turnpike Authority at the request of the state Department of Transportation, which is already looking at ways to improve traffic in Gorham’s village center.

The road would probably pay for itself, according to the study. It would reduce commuting time to Gorham from 46 minutes to 35 minutes.

Earlier this year, state officials recommended a bypass road to be built in two phases. The first phase would cut from Route 114 south of the village to Route 25 west of the village. Later, the state would build an even longer northern bypass from Route 25 east of the village to Route 25 west of the village.

But Gorham’s traffic ills extend beyond just the village. The one-mile section of Route 22 that overlaps Route 114 in south Gorham and Scarborough is the site of significant rush-hour delays.

Now talk is turning to the new toll road. The Gorham town council has asked John Duncan, the executive director of PACTS, to explain the toll road concept at its Aug. 6 meeting.