ARUNDEL — The Maine Department of Transportation is putting the finishing touches on a plan to revamp the intersection of Hill Road and Route 111 in Arundel, and held a public meeting at the Mildred L. Day School Wednesday evening to keep residents abreast of recent developments.

Current plans are to install a right-turn lane on Route 111 heading west toward Sanford, and to install a traffic light at the Hill Road intersection. Officials from the DOT hope the light will help facilitate the flow of traffic turning left from Hill Road onto Route 111, east toward Biddeford.

Plans to re-imagine the intersection have been delayed more than once over the past several years, much to the consternation of residents in Arundel, who have been witness to several accidents at the site. In 2013, two people were sent to the hospital after a woman turned east toward Biddeford from Hill Road and was struck by a Jeep Cherokee traveling west on Route 111. In 2012, a motorcyclist and his passenger were seriously injured on Route 111 when a van pulled out in front of them ”“ again, turning east toward Biddeford from Hill Road.

The expected redesign has been postponed twice, most recently in 2013. Natasha Collins, highway designer for the DOT, who was not assigned to the project when it was first proposed a few years ago, said the delays have been caused by a variety of factors, among them the need to analyze wetlands in the area that serve as a habitat for fish. Any project that would involve construction would have to adhere strictly to state environmental laws.

Another reason for the delays, she said, was the simple factor of money, with the DOT forced to choose which projects receive the highest priority, funding-wise, on a year-to-year basis.

“We are trying to stretch every dollar we have. And we can’t change driver behavior,” said Collins on Wednesday, referring to the accidents. “We’re doing what we can.”

Collins said the early estimate on the project’s cost falls in the vicinity of just over $600,000, to be paid for through a mix of federal and state funding. The DOT will advertise bidding for the project in January 2015, and when a contractor is chosen, it will be up to them to decide when to begin work ”“ which project manager Ernie Martin estimated would take a couple of months.

Martin said the DOT will look into the feasibility of nighttime construction, and maintained that traffic flow through the area shouldn’t be too much of a burden for motorists.

“That’s a decision we’ll have to make internally,” said Martin. “I think the design is looking pretty good.”

Part of that design entails a new box culvert, which will be installed with an eye toward preserving the species of fish that are native to the area. Bridge designer Brian Nichols said the culvert will have a 12-foot span with an eight-foot rise, and will match the stream bed, making it easier for fish to move up and down the stream.

“This helps with a lot of the environmental regulations we faced,” said Nichols.

Work on the culvert, he said, would represent three to four weeks of the project’s estimated two-month timeframe.

Construction will affect four property owners whose land abuts the proposed area of the project. The DOT will send an appraiser to each property, and, after analysis, will make offers to those owners for the purchase of small swaths of land that will be required to install the right-turn lane.

In the end, said Martin, the only cost to the Town of Arundel will be the cost of maintaining electricity for the traffic light.

“The overall improvement in safety is worth it on the town’s behalf,” he said.

— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 319 or [email protected].