WESTBROOK — The renovation of the Cumberland Mills traffic triangle is expected to be completed by early 2020. 

The Maine Department of Transportation held a public hearing last week to discuss its plan to add traffic lights to the triangle. A few dozen residents attended the meeting to share their concerns and to ask questions. 

The one-way traffic flow of the triangle and the street configuration will remain the same, but traffic lights will be installed to slow traffic and allow for breaks. The Cumberland Mills triangle is made up of Cumberland and Main streets and Harnois Avenue.

The $1.7 million project is already fully funded. The city will pay $317,000, MDOT will pay $50,000, and the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System, or PACTS, will pay over $1.4 million. The City Council signed a three-party agreement in July 2015.

Chris Bobay, a senior project manager at Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. who’s working with MDOT, said at the May 17 meeting that installing lights will reduce the buildup of cars waiting to merge into traffic. People currently go when they see an opening, but Bobay said the renovations will be “taking the decision away from motorists” and make the triangle safer.

Lights will be placed in four locations: where Cumberland and Main streets come together; at the intersection of Cumberland Street and Warren Avenue; where Cumberland Street and Harnois Avenue come together; and where Harnois Avenue and Main Street come together. Also, the existing light at the intersection of Forest and Main streets will be updated.  

City Administrator Jerre Bryant on May 18 said he thinks MDOT’s plan will work well.

“They’ve made it as free flowing as possible, which makes me comfortable,” he said.

MDOT said it wants the traffic triangle to be “multi-modal,” meaning it would be accessible for cars, buses, pedestrians, and bicyclists. In addition to the traffic lights, some lanes would be widened and new pedestrian islands would be built.

Some residents said the plan doesn’t seem well-suited for bikes, though. MDOT said it won’t be creating bike lanes, but will install signage informing motorists of bicyclists.

“It’s not a perfect solution for bikes, we’ll be honest with you,” MDOT Project Manager Brian Keezer said.

A top priority with the project is making the triangle safer for motorists and pedestrians.  There has been one pedestrian death in the Cumberland Mills triangle, in 2004.

The intersection of Cumberland Street and Warren Avenue is considered a high crash location by MDOT, with 56 crashes occurring between 2013 and 2015. MDOT said installing traffic lights is expected to result in 15 fewer crashes each year.

In the entire traffic triangle, there have been 93 crashes in the past three years, 95 percent of which have been rear end collisions. One resident said that while the renovations may result in fewer crashes, the crashes may be higher impact as motorists adjust to cars coming to full stops. 

MDOT said it will take all comments into consideration as it works on design plans. Preliminary designs are expected to be completed by June and there will then be an 8-12 month right-of-way process. The final design will be completed by the fall of 2018. 

According to Keezer, the project will then go to bid and construction will most likely begin in the spring of 2019. He said it will take eight to 12 months to complete construction. 

The traffic lights will all begin operating at the same time and won’t be installed in phases. During construction, traffic will be allowed to move through the triangle, but may be reduced to one lane in areas. During the first week of being installed, Keezer said the lights will be flashing to prepare drivers for the change.

Kate Gardner can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 125 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @katevgardner.

The Maine Department of Transportation plans to add traffic lights at four points in the Cumberland Mills traffic triangle, including where Cumberland and Main streets come together.