TOPSHAM
The public is invited to a public information meeting Tuesday night to learn more about a proposed rumble strip project on Route 196 to help decrease vehicle crashes.
The meeting will start at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the municipal building, located at 100 Main St.
Proposed is a rumple strip project on Route 196 (Lewiston Road) stretching from White House Crossing Road to the Lisbon town line.
Several serious vehicle accidents have occurred on Route 196 in the past few years. Topsham Police Chief Christopher Lewis, Fire Chief Brian Stockdale, EMS Director Mike Labbe, Public Works Director Dennis Cox and Town Manager Rich Roedner met to discuss how the town can make this section of Lewiston Road safer. A follow-up meeting included Duane Brunell, a Safety Department engineer with Maine Department of Transportation, at which time a center line rumble strip concept was discussed.
The rumble strip would involve milling out 7-inch wide, 12-inch long and 3/8-inch deep grooves in the center of the road between the lanes of traffic. When a driver unintentionally crosses the center line, the rumble strips create noise and vibration inside the vehicle through interaction with the vehicle tires. Often this is enough to alert a distracted driver who can quickly make a corrective steering action to return to their lane safely.
The MDOT has installed rumble strips in several locations in the state and have been found effective in reducing head on collisions. There are spaces left where cross streets intersect, where passing zones exist and at driveway entrances to prevent unnecessary noise and safe travel for motorcycles and bicycles. These cutouts are shallow enough that they do not make motorcycle travel unsafe.
If the project is approved, the rumble strips will be 100 percent paid for with Federal Highway Safety funds.
Further information will be available at the meeting Tuesday night, or by calling Dennis Cox, Topsham Public Works Director at 725-1728.
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