For years now the intersection of Duck Pond Road and Hardy Road with Route 302 has become more and more dangerous. The only traffic control is a flashing traffic light, yellow on Route 302 and red facing Duck Pond and Hardy roads, along with stop signs. I urged state Rep. Ann Peoples to arrange a public meeting with the Department of Transportation to address this problem and a meeting was held on Sept. 13 at 3 p.m. (only time DOT was available) at the Highland Lake Grange.

Representative Peoples, the deputy director of DOT and a engineer met with Mayor Hilton, City Administrator Jerre Bryant, City Engineer Eric Dudley, City Council President Brendan Rielly and myself, along with a group of area residents to discuss this problem.

DOT favors a roundabout to solve the problems here and most of the residents spoke in favor of a traffic signal. DOT advised that they would be doing a study of this intersection and also the Prides Corner intersection.

I asked Rep. Peoples and the DOT to hold another public meeting (hopefully in the evening so that more of the public can attend) to bring back their findings, to which they agreed. Hopefully, this meeting will be in the near future. Dave Gowen and the members of the Highland Lake Grange have offered their facility once again for this meeting. Date and time will be announced in the American Journal and on Facbbook

Above is another photo of the Duck Pond intersection. Behind the trees in the right center of the photo is the old Woodbury Tavern built in the early 1700s. This building sits around eight feet from Bridgton Road and would certainly be in the path of a roundabout.

The main section of the store was once the stable of the Highland Lake Grange. The original store burned in 1926 and this stable was moved across the intersection and remodeled into the store. Adjacent to the walking serviceman sign (Hawkes TV) is a stone monument dedicated to the Woodbury family and the land grant they received.

These are a few of the historic landmarks we have left in the city. The federal government (urban renewal) virtually destroyed downtown Westbrook and now the state wants to finish the job by destroying these landmarks, just in time for the 200th anniversary of Westbrook in 2014.

It was stated that a traffic light would cause more rear-end collisions. I have not seen very many, if any at all, at Prides Corner or East Bridge and 302.

A roundabout, on the other hand, has yield signs that can create a problem and there is no provision for pedestrians to cross the street. The Duck Pond intersection has pedestrians crossing frequently from the Farm Lakes subdivision and also from Hardy Road to the store, and the Highland Lake Church as well as pedestrians from Bridgton Road and Duck Pond Road crossing to the Highland Lake Grange. Snowmobiles also cross in the winter to get gas and then go back into the fields and trails.

A roundabout is far more costly than a traffic light and would mean taking historic property at Duck Pond Corner. The cost of a traffic light is somewhere in the vicinity of $100,000. As a taxpayer in this tight economy, there is no doubt in my mind which way to go. A traffic light is the most logical solution in solving the problems at this intersection financially and functionally.

This intersection is badly in need of a traffic light with a pedestrian crossing cycle, no more or no less.

Mike Sanphy represents Ward 5 on the Westbrook City Council.