GRAY – Relief is finally on the way for motorists looking to escape congestion in the center of Gray village, a meeting point for traffic from the Maine Turnpike and five state routes.

An $8.2 million bypass that would link Route 202 and Route 26 is expected to be completed by 2007, according to the Maine Turnpike Authority and the state Department of Transportation, which are collaborating on the project.

Drivers have long been frustrated by delays in the village, which connects Routes 4, 115, 202, 26 and 100, plus Exit 63 of the turnpike. At the busiest times, traffic can be backed up a half mile or more onto the turnpike and more than a mile up Route 26.

“This intersection is a nightmare,” said Tim Darnell of Gray, who tries to stay away from the area during the morning rush hour and on Fridays, when vacationers head for the lakes in summer and the ski slopes in winter.

An average of 15,000 vehicles went through Exit 63 each day in 2000, a figure that is expected to increase to 29,000 by 2025, according to Guy Whittington, the Department of Transportation’s project manager. The number of vehicles using Route 26 north of Gray is expected to grow from 17,800 to 29,500.

The northern end of the bypass would run parallel to the turnpike for about a mile before connecting with Route 202 west of the turnpike. The work also includes improvements to Route 202, the addition of two lanes to the Route 202 bridge, and the widening of the toll plaza area.

The project will likely be put out to bid around November, Whittington said, and could take two full seasons to complete.