Driving change: York commits to Route 1 traffic study to curb speeding, accidents

YORK, Maine — A study of Route 1 will take place this year to guide future improvements of one of York’s most bustling roads.

The town is collaborating with the Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission (SMPDC), the Kittery Area Comprehensive Transportation System (KACTS) and the Maine Department of Transportation on the study of Route 1. The study is expected to take place over the course of a year and will examine the stretch of Route 1 from the Kittery border up to Mountain Road.

“To the best of my knowledge, a study of this magnitude has not been completed on Route 1 in York in a very long time, if ever,” York Planning Director Dylan Smith wrote in a request for action to the Selectboard Monday, April 22.

Smith requested the board approve $72,000 to go towards the study, which will be funded three ways between the town, state and the U.S. Department of Transportation. The board agreed to approve the spending without a vote, directing Town Manager Peter Joseph to identify funding in time for the study to start this year.

First responders and business owners on Route 1 say the road has some sections that are dangerous for their speed combined with the volume of traffic and the need to turn left into businesses like Anthony’s and Eldredge Lumber.

Some believe the speed is too high in parts, while others think turn lanes could help.

Selectboard members said the study is welcome to address challenges on the town’s busy throughway.

“I just think it’s necessary to do,” Selectboard member Mike Estes said, “With all the accidents and traffic and everything else.”

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Route 1 study born from talks with sewer committee

Community members have talked about a traffic study of Route 1 for years, according to Selectboard Chair Todd Frederick. He said the town would benefit from having a “management plan” that could guide future traffic improvements on Route 1.

Frederick said the coming study is a result of talks with the Sewer Expansion Action Committee, which is helping oversee the future extension of sewer on Route 1 up to Old Post Road. A phase of that extension project is on the referendum ballot in May that would bring sewer up to the area of Anthony's Food Shop.

Lack of funding was one of the main reasons why the total $11.5 million project could not be completed at once, according to Town Manager Peter Joseph. Still, he said earlier this year that a benefit of waiting to add sewer further north was potentially combining future traffic improvements with the sewer work.

Frederick said the Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission was immediately interested in helping launch a comprehensive study of Route 1.

“They said, ‘Jeez, we want to do a full-blown study,’” Frederick said. “That’s sort of how it started.”

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Business owners, first responders, cite traffic concerns on Route 1

Work has been done to make Route 1 safer over the years as more people have come to York. Former York town manager Steve Burns saidBeech Ridge Road and Old Post Road used to be dangerous, but new stop lights have helped those intersections become much safer.

Other locals say there are still dangerous stretches. Amanda Woods, whose family owns several businesses in town, said the road between Anthony’s and Eldredge Lumber can be dangerous with people trying to make a left-hand turn.

“There are kind of dicey places,” Woods said.

Police Chief Owen Davis said the area between York Street and Old Post Road is one of the significant areas of concern for traffic for his department, especially in the summer. He said a similar influx of traffic occurs that time of year from York’s Wild Kingdom up to Mountain Road.

Davis said the varying speed limits on Route 1 lead some drivers to go too fast. He said some drivers are coming down Spur Road from Interstate 95 at turnpike speeds only to turn onto Route 1 where the speed limit is 40 miles per hour.

A little north of that section, the road turns to 55 miles per hour, which Davis said is high for Route 1. He said reducing the fluctuation of speed zones could improve safety on the road.

“It’s a complex problem,” Davis said. “Obviously, a more consistent speed limit, I think, would help us dramatically.”

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Study to look at crash reports, alternative transportation modes

Smith, the planning director, said the study would look at the areas of the road that have the highest number of crashes. He also said it will look at how residential and economic development will impact Route 1 and help planners determine what it will need to accommodate that development in the future.

Smith said the study will also look into ways Route 1 can better suit other forms of transportation like bus stops or bike lanes. He said Route 1 today seems less safe for cyclists than it could be.

“Maybe we need to have a safe zone, a buffer,” Smith said.

Smith said it is too early to tell what future work on Route 1 will cost, saying that’s what the study will help reveal. He said the town would continue to work with the state and KACTS to acquire money for projects on the road. KACTS is one of several entities known as Metropolitan Planning Organizations that help communities acquire federal dollars for projects.

Frederick said his hope is the study will help lead to projects that make Route 1 a safer road for locals and visitors.

“This study is certainly welcome in my view,” Frederick said. “Make it a much more pleasant gateway into our community than what we’re looking at today.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: York eyes Route 1 traffic study to curb speeding, accidents