A big rig Tuesday swings onto Libby Avenue from Main Street. Traffic signals were installed at the intersection last year in an effort to cut the number of crashes there. Robert Lowell / American Journal

GORHAM — The Bernard Rines bypass intersection with Narragansett Street and the intersection of Gray and Mosher tied in 2020 as the top two crash intersections in town, according to a new state report.

There were 18 vehicle accidents at each of those sites last year, said the report from the Maine Department of Transportation.

The Rines intersection was up three crashes from 15 crashes in 2019. Vehicle accidents there resulted in three injuries each year.

The Gray and Mosher intersection crashes were down from 20 in 2019, with two resulting injuries in 2020 and one in 2019.

The intersection crashes were among a total of 285 in Gorham in 2020, 25% fewer than 380 in 2019.

Meanwhile, the No. 1 accident site in Gorham in 2019 dropped off the 2020 list completely. The South Gorham intersection where Blue Ledge and County roads connect with South Street led the town with 31 crashes in 2019.

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That’s a major intersection with many moving parts, said Deputy Gorham Police Chief Michael Nault.

“By that, I mean vehicle operators are required to yield the right of way to oncoming traffic, and in most instances that failure resulted in a motor vehicle crash,” Nault said.

The crash data, Nault said, also includes motor vehicle crashes that occur within 100 feet of the intersection so that factors in rear end crashes, most of which can be related to driver inattention.

“The only reason I can think of that this intersection was not on the 2020 list, is driver education, drivers paying attention and observance of the traffic signs and signals,” he said.

Following closely on the No. 1 2020 crash intersection tie was Libby Avenue and Main Street with 17 crashes with six injuries. The intersection had 19 crashes and 13 injuries in 2019. Traffic signals were installed there late last year, and Nault said that should be a big help.

The new signals should “have a dramatic effect on the number and severity of motor vehicle crashes we have at this intersection,” he  said.

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In February of 2008, two truckers were killed in a crash there.

Gorham is a high-traffic town, with state routes 22, 202, 114 and 25 running through it.

 

 

 

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