OLD ORCHARD BEACH — State Rep. George Hogan would like to restart discussions about creating a new roundabout at the Halfway Rotary.
Hogan is asking the Maine Department of Transportation to “help ease summer traffic congestion” by considering new traffic patterns, according to a written statement released last week.
“For too long, our town has had serious congestion problems during the summer,” said Hogan in the statement. “The DOT needs to work with us to provide some relief. Improving the flow of traffic will make life better for year-round residents and for all our summer visitors.
One of the items Hogan wants to look at is creating a new roundabout to improve traffic flow at the intersection where Ocean Park Road, Old Orchard Beach Road, Old Salt Road, Temple Avenue and Saco Avenue all meet.
This wouldn’t be the first time a roundabout has been discussed.
A 2005 study by the DOT recommended creating a roundabout at the current rotary, which it called “a high crash area.” Unlike a rotary, a roundabout would have incoming traffic yielding to slow moving traffic traveling in a circle, and MDOT officials said the slower speed would create a safer flow of traffic.
In November 2008, residents approved spending $200,000 for initial work on a new roundabout. The cost of the project was at the time estimated at $3.4 million, with partial funding through state and federal funds. The town’s share would have been about $1.1 million.
The Town Council voted in June 2009 to drop the project, and then Public Works Director Mary Ann Conroy said the initial survey data would be kept by the town and could be used for reference in the future.
Hogan said in the prepared statement that he’s hoping the availability of better, more cost-effective building methods and materials as well as new faces on the Town Council, “will lead to action this time around.”
“We can’t keep ignoring this problem,” said Hogan. “If we are successful and get help from the DOT, it will make life better for residents and visitors and save property taxpayers money over the long run.”
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].
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