WESTBROOK – The dangerous and heavily traveled Cumberland Mills intersection in Westbrook is slated for a redesign, one that will add a series of traffic signals in an attempt to create safer conditions for drivers and pedestrians.

Also referred to as a traffic triangle, the intersection defies definition due to its structure. But, in many ways, it resembles a large traffic circle, with a series of often-congested arteries spilling onto Main Street.

The proposed $1.7 million project would add traffic signals at the intersections of Main and Cumberland streets, Cumberland Street and Harnois Avenue, and Harnois and Main streets, allowing safer travel for commuters merging onto Main Street, and supplying additional crosswalks for pedestrians. However, the signals would also slow traffic along Main Street, where commuters are not currently required to stop as they travel through the area.

Project funding was recently approved by the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System, the region’s transportation planning outlet, after a decade-long process.

Westbrook City Engineer Eric Dudley said Tuesday that some 13 alternatives were looked at; some that would have provided radical changes to the area, including relocating the recently reconstructed bridge at Cumberland Mills, changing traffic patterns to make some streets two-way instead of one-way, and dead-ending a portion of Cumberland Street.

Dudley said the redesign process began in 2004, when Maine Department of Transportation officials looked at a safety project at the intersection of Cumberland Street and Warren Avenue. (This intersection was ranked ninth on a Maine Department of Transportation list of most dangerous intersections in 2013).

“We requested that instead of doing the project, we do a study of the whole system in that area to make greater improvements overall,” he said.

The resulting report indicated that the traffic pattern needed fixing, but funding for the project was held for a number of years.

Dudley, who also represents Westbrook on multiple Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System committees, said competing for funding for transportation projects is difficult, especially in the Greater Portland region. However, he said, with Maine Department of Transportation approval, the project may get off the ground earlier than once thought, with the design determined in 2015 and construction following in 2016.

“It takes a lot of time and effort,” he said, referring to the process. “There are a lot of standards that need to be met for a project to get approved, and it’s very competitive.”

The Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System includes 15 communities.

The majority of the $1.7 million will come from state and federal funding, but Dudley estimated that roughly 15 percent will be from a local match.

Stephen Sawyer, a civil engineer for Sebago Technics who served as a consultant in the 2004-2005 study, said Tuesday that the initial study, done in the same time period as a pedestrian death in the area, focused on “capacity and safety.”

Sawyer said the range of options for a redesign was “exhaustive,” but that the team settled on keeping the travel patterns the same and installing several traffic signals.

“By their very nature, they (signals) create opportunities for people to enter that traffic circle area without fear of interference of competing vehicles coming from a different direction,” he said, adding that the plan will eliminate the need for drivers to “weave” through multiple lanes.

All Cumberland Mills pedestrian crossings are unsignalized, and with multiple situations where automobiles aren’t required to yield, it can create dangerous situations for residents on foot. Referring to the difficult lane changes required by commuters, Dudley said, “the last thing they’re often looking for are pedestrians or cyclists. It’s difficult at best.”

Dudley said each added signal gives pedestrians a safer way to cross the busy streets.

In May of 2004, Westbrook resident Holly Larouche was killed after being struck by a van while crossing Main Street to Rite Aid.

Sawyer said that while the intersection resembles a traffic circle, it differs from a traffic circle in that the intersection has lanes where oncoming traffic does not have to yield.

“It’s pretty unique in terms of what goes on in that particular area as it relates to what happens elsewhere in the region,” he said.

The Cumberland Mills project also raises the chance of overlapping with another major project in Westbrook, the complete overhaul of the Bridge Street bridge, where work is scheduled to begin this winter. While Dudley hasn’t ruled out the possibility of the two projects coinciding, he said it will be a major consideration moving forward.

“It’s one of the things we’ll iron out during the process,” he said, stating that even if the project receives early funding, the Maine Department of Transportation, which is also doing the Bridge Street project, has the final say.

The Westbrook City Council’s Aug. 4 agenda includes an endorsement request for the Cumberland Mills improvement project.

Afternoon commuters in Westbrook Tuesday wait to turn left onto Cumberland Street from Main Street. A proposed redesign of the entire Cumberland Mills intersection would add a series of traffic signals, including one here. 

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