Bangor installs new crosswalk, lights at intersection where fatal hit-and-run occurred

BANGOR, Maine — Almost a month after a Bangor man was struck by a car and killed in a hit-and-run incident at the intersection of Main and Patten streets, city workers have installed a pedestrian crosswalk there.

The crosswalk — featuring a countdown pedestrian signal on both sides of Main Street, a painted crosswalk on the street, streetlights and a handicapped-accessible ramp on both sides — isn’t functional yet, but should be in operation by the weekend.

“We started discussing this a couple weeks ago, and obviously we’re trying to increase people’s safety after that hit-and-run incident,” said Dana Wardwell, Bangor’s public works director. “It’s to provide one more safe access point to cross that main thoroughfare.”

There were already crosswalk signals on Patten, but now there are signals on both sides of Main at the intersection.

“We had to lower the curbing on the river side to make a handicapped-accessible ramp,” Wardwell said. “We sloped the curbing down and now we need to pour a little piece of concrete in there where we place a truncated dome and then paint a crosswalk over it.”

Truncated domes — which resemble corrugated plating with raised knobby circles — signal blind and visually impaired people that they are about to leave or enter the crosswalk.

Wardwell said the work will cost a total of about $15,000.

Streetlights were also added to increase nighttime visibility.

The project started with the wiring for new lights on June 12 and will conclude with the concrete work, which Wardwell hopes to have done Wednesday, weather permitting.

Joshua R. Constantine, 37, was killed after being hit by a driver late Saturday night, June 2, near the entrance to Shaw’s Supermarket on Main Street. He lived on Patten Street.

Before now, the only crosswalks on Main Street in the area were at the junctions with Buck Street, five blocks to the south, and Railroad Street, one block to the north.

The driver was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, a Class C felony, and falsifying evidence.