Lower Main Street in Lisbon, which was closed to vehicle traffic for nearly three months, will reopen Monday.

Brett Richardson, Lisbon’s economic and community development director, said they decided to reopen the road a little early this time after an event that was scheduled to take place Aug. 28 was canceled.

“Our initial plan was to reopen the road a week after Labor Day, but a farmers market that was supposed to be held on Main Street on Aug 28 got canceled, and there were no other events scheduled to take place, so we decided to reopen the road a week early,” said Richardson.

In late June, the road was closed, believing it would encourage outdoor events and dining more safely during the coronavirus pandemic. The town had closed the 4,000-square-foot stretch of lower Main Street last summer as well.

For Lorelei Hilliker, an owner of nearby 207 Edibles, the reopening of Main Street is a huge relief.

“It gets a lot easier for people now to get out of our driveway, especially during the rush hours between 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.,”said Hilliker. “We had seen a loss of nearly $5,000 per week in our sales during the summer when the road was closed, but with the reopening of the road, people will be able to stop at our store.”

Ashley Manchester, a resident of Lisbon, prefers Main Street to be closed. He finds the closure makes traffic at that intersection less chaotic.

“I have to either turn left onto road 196 or go straight on Main Street to pick my daughter up from her daycare every day,” said Manchester. “With the Main Street reopening, I am super anxious about the drivers not watching and being too aggressive when pulling into the oncoming traffic from 125 because they are in a rush.”

Route 196 is a part of the National Highway System, which provides the primary connection between the residential and employment centers of Lewiston-Auburn and Bath-Brunswick-Topsham, and onto Route 1 and Midcoast Maine.

Toby Conroy, a plant manager of the Sausage Kitchen on Main Street, said Main Street’s reopening would allow traffic to flow freely.

“Considering most of our customers come from outside the town, the reopening of Main Street will be helpful for our business. In summer, when the road was closed, it was difficult for people to navigate around the side streets and speed bumps,” said Conroy.

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