Adding a shared-use path along Wilson Street, changing some angled parking to parallel spaces and reshaping busy intersections are a few changes that could be coming to the heart of Brewer.
The ideas were presented to the Brewer City Council on Monday as final recommendations for how the city’s busiest roads could be made safer and easier for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians to navigate. The changes, officials hope, would help create a more inviting and distinctive downtown area.
The suggestions are part of the Maine Department of Transportation’s Village Partnership Initiative, which launched in 2022 and allows the state to partner with communities to spruce up their downtowns using federal funding. Brewer enlisted the help of Stantec, a Topsham-based engineering, architecture and environmental consultant, and the Bangor Area Comprehensive Transportation System for the project.
“This is an opportunity for once-in-a-lifetime investments in lower-speed areas where people meet, shop and come together,” said Jessa Berna, a project manager from Stantec. “It’s a way for businesses to help create economic opportunity by improving bicycle, vehicular and pedestrian safety in those areas.”
The Village Partnership Initiative coverage area includes sections of North and South Main Street, then runs up Center, Wilson and State streets, as those roads are particularly busy and hold five high crash locations, according to Maine DOT data from the past decade. Stantec broke the region into three focus areas.
The first area covers North Main Street from where it intersects with State and Chamberlain streets. In that stretch, Berna suggested improvements such as raising crosswalks to slow traffic and creating a zipper merge to bring two lanes of traffic into one sooner. The city could also make improvements to Freedom Park, which sits on the corner of North Main and State streets.
To the second focus area, which covers Center Street between North Main and Penobscot street, Berna recommended adding raised crosswalks with beacons at the intersection of North Main and Center streets to help pedestrians and bicycles navigate the area safely. Berna also proposed changing the angled parking on one side of Center Street to parallel spaces, which would allow room to add a shared-use path on the street.
The last focus area, where Wilson, North Main and South Main streets meet, would benefit from adjusting the alignment of traffic lanes and crosswalks, Berna said. Additionally, Berna proposed adding a 12-foot shared use path down Wilson Street.
Officials from Maine DOT and Stantec developed the recommendations after working for more than a year reviewing data on traffic counts, existing parking conditions, high-crash locations, existing bicycle routes and more. Berna said the group also gathered feedback from residents and city leaders alike.
With the recommendations in hand, Brewer’s next step is to gain the funding needed for design and construction phases of the project. The Brewer City Council could ask MaineDOT to pursue funding for the project at the end of February, said Jeremy Caron, Brewer’s city engineer.
“I’m very excited about the recommendations Stantec has made,” Caron said. “I believe this will be a transformative project that will help improve these areas of the city moving forward.”
Construction on some of the improvements Berna outlined on Monday may not happen for another three to five years, Berna said.
The project will likely be broken up into three phases of construction to make it financially responsible for the city. Regardless of how long it takes, Daniels said excited to see small changes, like adding raised crosswalks to major intersections, make a big difference in how the area looks and feels.
“I think these recommendations are going to solve problems that Brewer has had for a long time,” Brewer Mayor Michele Daniels said. “Making it easier for people to get around Brewer is the goal.”