NEWPORT, Maine — A sign stating that Newport is the “Crossroads of Maine” is aptly placed.
The sign is near the “Triangle,” where three major routes intersect. Routes 2, 7 and 11 all converge at the triangle, which is near exit 157 off Interstate 95.
The traffic congestion at the Triangle has caused many problems and backups over the years, say some commuters, but town and state officials have no immediate plans to make any changes.
“I’m surprised there aren’t more accidents than there are,” said Wade Wheeler, assistant manager at Dunkin’ Donuts on the Palmyra side of Oxbow Road on Route 11. “I think [the business in the area has] grown up so big. It’s gotten busier as the years have gone on.”
Several businesses, including four fast food restaurants and two gas stations, line Route 11, just off the interstate.
Newport Town Manager James Ricker said he is aware of the frustration from motorists, but added that it’s a sign that the town is a nice place for a business.
“When I came here in 1981, there were only a couple of businesses out there and two were abandoned,” said Ricker. “There was no Shop ’n Save, no minimall. It was all fields and woods.
“Look at it today. If you were in the retail business, it is the biggest in the area. It developed itself based on location,” said Ricker.
A traffic count conducted in 2003 found that about 11,000 vehicles per day cross the Newport-Palmyra town line on U.S. Route 2, said Ricker. From the interstate to High Street on Route 11, the count was 18,230 per day.
“It’s telling me we have a town with a good vitality to it,” said Ricker. “When you’re in a small town of 3,000 to 4,000 people and see seven cars an hour, it’s disheartening. When you have this type of business base, it generates 34 to 36 percent of our tax base.
“I’d like to have two or three more types of locations in this community,” he said.
Maine Department of Transportation spokesman Ted Talbot said the area is not scheduled for any maintenance this year. The traffic light installed at the intersection of the three routes was put in only a few years ago, he said.
“It’s not a high-crash location or incident location,” said Talbot. “The speed limit is already down [to 25 mph].”
Although the speeds are fairly slow, it’s nearly impossible to get out of businesses during certain times of the day, said Mason Johnston, senior account business specialist at the Wireless Zone.
“There’s about three hours during the day, morning and evening, where you can’t even take a left leaving my store,” said Johnston, who has worked at the store along Route 11 since 2004. “I take a right and go around. It’s impossible to go left.
“It’s like playing Frogger,” he said.
With summer approaching, the congestion will get worse, said Johnston.
“Come Memorial Day, there’s three-and-a-half months when it’s heavier [traffic],” he said, mentioning the many lakes in the area that tourists visit.
“Newport has changed and continues to change, especially in that area and especially in the summer,” said Ricker.
Talbot said the only way the problems could be addressed is if the town requests a traffic study from the DOT.
“We’re taking municipality requests for the next work plan [now],” said Talbot. “If they identify it as an area that needs to be looked at, now is the time [to do it in time for] the next capital work plan.”
If nothing is requested, the earliest it could be looked at is for the 2014-2015 work plan, said Talbot.
One wonders how is it possible that a town that has existed for 200 years only because it is the intersection of several road has such a poorly designed traffic flow.
It is very clearly seen by the traffic lights!–If you can drive , it certainly shouldn’t be a problem–God knows in Bangor, there are some side st. lights where you sit so damn long you run out a quarter tank of gas!!—Surely there must be some real news out there somewhere!–Perhaps you haven’t been to Newport in a while?? There is really more then an intersection holding it together!-
It’s not that bad, people should stop whining. I drive through it every day and it’s nothing. Must have been a slow news day.
That area is not that bad. When the traffic lights were put in to make turning a little easier, I think that is what made that intersection better. The problem is that area to get into Shop N Save right by Rite Aid on Route 7. People stop all the time and tie up traffic to let people in and out instead of waiting the turn, that is the headache, and they should not allow left hand turns in from the opposite end of the triangle into Shop N Save for example, that turn area is quite small and at times has created a bottleneck because for one reason or another nobody can get in the lane properly.
But don’t listen to the drivers, blow some money on a traffic study if you want to consider a change in the future, it would be cheaper to take comments, hook up some cameras yourself and sit in a lawn chair on a nice sunny day and observe these types of things yourself.
I have learned by visiting family there, all the little short-cuts to avoid this—-Can’t believe if people live there, they haven’t figured it out!
It was much worse before 1989. It actually was dangerous.
It is ridiculous. If you stop at the redlight coming from Walmart and are ready to take a left.You have to wait through 3 red-green lights from the other 3 sides before you can go. There is always a line from Dexter to Walmart and/or the Interstate.
Could I ask what is so difficult about this??–All you have to do is go with the traffic lite!–If you can’t follow this, maybe you shouldn’t be driving?
Half the towns in Maine are trying to get traffic to slow down when they go through their town and the other half are trying to get it to speed up!
But it creates lots of jobs for traffic engineers.
Once you learn which lane to be in and how the lights rotate it’s not a problem. It could be confusing to people who aren’t familar with the area, they just need to read the signs.
Been through there many times and never seen any
problem even during “rush hour”. No different than
any other busy area with businesses. It isn’t meant
to do 50MPH through there.
I have to agree with the summer remarks. It is nearly impossible to get out of any of the parking lots there when the summer months hit. Its not bad if you are “driving thru” but when you are doing business at any of these places you are not getting out in the summer months. Redoing the intersection would definitely benefit everyone.
it’s not that hard to turn left and head toward the highway, it is hard to WAIT 60 seconds to do it. if it were so bad, how did all the people get home and leave the area empty by 11 p.m.? i would like to see the section from dunkin donuts to 95 patched/ground though. it reminds me of I84 in new york w/ the thump thump thump from the pavement.