A traffic consultant hired by the town has recommended installing at least two traffic lights on Main Street, one at the intersection of Dow Highway and the other at the intersection of Portland Street.
Sebago Technics of South Portland, hired in 2022 to study the town’s decades old traffic challenges, also recommended various measures be taken to ease traffic and make the downtown safer for pedestrians.
Among the ideas for traffic calming, the town could shorten the length of some crosswalks by changing curbing, said Vikki Conant of Sebago Technics, who presented the findings at the April 11 Town Council meeting.
The traffic study focused on the area from the intersection of Dow Highway, also known as Route 236, and Main Street down to the Norton and Main streets intersection. The study looked at vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle traffic, as well as traffic collision data going back several years.
The intersections of Main Street with Dow Highway, Academy Street and Portland Street were all found to be high crash locations, as well as the area between Portland and Young streets.
Roundabouts were also considered but given the space limitations, traffic lights with turn lanes seemed to be the best solution, according to Conant. Extreme congestion exists through the entire corridor, she said, and a model the firm created to study South Berwick traffic was “so over-saturated that it was obvious that some mitigation was needed.”
A traffic light is now being installed on Dow Highway at the intersection with Route 91.
The two downtown traffic signals would cost about $2.5 million, Conant said. Town officials hope to secure enough federal and other funding for the project, if it goes ahead, to eliminate any impact on taxpayers, according to town officials. A public meeting on the traffic study, to be scheduled later this spring, will include a presentation from Sebago Technics and an opportunity for public questions.
The traffic study results can be found here.
In other business last week, Town Manager Tim Pellerin said the proposed budget raises this year’s total spending of $8,370,455 to $9,256,455 for the fiscal year starting July 1. One of the largest line items is a 7.8% raise in salaries. The increase was necessary for the town to be competitive and attract and retain qualified employees, according to Council Chair Mallory Cook. The Annual Town Meeting to vote on the budget will be Tuesday, May 16, at 6 p.m. in Town Hall.
