Representatives of the Maine Dept. of Transportation presented a proposed intersection improvement project for the intersection of Rt. 1, Jefferson Street and Depot Street in Waldoboro.
About two-dozen residents attended, and many voiced concerns about the project at a public hearing May 10 at the Waldoboro Town Office.
The state has proposed reducing the speed limit to 35 mph on Rt. 1 through that area, and adding four raised traffic islands on Rt. 1 at the intersection, designed to help slow traffic and draw drivers’ attention to the intersection, said Senior Traffic Engineer Bruce Munger.
The total cost for the project is estimated at $485,000, to be paid with federal money, Munger said.
Route 1 will be widened somewhat as a result of the project, however the road will still be within the state’s right of way.
“The DOT does not want to take property,” Munger said. “We were given the directive to get this done without impacting properties.”
The islands would be four inches high and bordered with 42-inch, yellow plastic poles for visibility. There would be two islands on each side of the intersection. The state would also add more signage and a crosswalk, according to plans available at the public hearing.
The intersection qualifies for the MDOT’s attention because it has had an extremely high accident rate compared to state standards, Munger said.
In a three-year period from 2006-2008, there were 15 crashes at the intersection and four of them resulted in accidents, Munger said.
The islands are positioned so as not to block entry to any businesses. However, the Rt. 1 entrance to Dennis Blanchet’s Old Mill Mall will be cut off from left turns in or out. Patrons will still have access to his business from Depot Street, but Blanchet is concerned about the impact on business.
“Right now I have Rt. 1 frontage, and that’s what I pay for,” Blanchet said at the meeting. He is concerned that drivers unfamiliar with his business will not be willing to turn around if they can’t take a left into the Mall.
Many residents voiced concerns that although the intersection would be getting almost a half million dollars in improvements, it does not qualify for a traffic signal.
Federal standards outline eight qualifiers for determining whether an intersection merits a traffic signal. If an intersection meets any of the eight warrants, an intersection can be added. This intersection does not meet any of those warrants, Munger said.
One of the warrants relates to traffic volume, and while the traffic on Rt. 1 at that intersection is bad enough that several residents in attendance said they avoid the intersection entirely, the need for a traffic signal is based on volume of cross streets’ traffic.
If the project is approved soon, it could be done this fall, said Project Manager Jim Mansir. However, based on the concerns of the residents at the public hearing, the MDOT will review the project and the intersection’s potential qualification for a traffic signal, and construction may be delayed until next year.
After MDOT revisits the plans, the residents of Waldoboro will be given another opportunity to review them, Mansir said.
