LIVERMORE FALLS – The town’s code enforcement officer and a resident were presented with five concepts Wednesday to improve traffic flow and make the downtown safer.
Joan Walton of Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments listened to residents’ concerns in May and brought back some ideas based on what she heard.
Walton was contracted by the state Department of Transportation to do the study. Residents of Livermore Falls adopted a comprehensive plan in 2002, and one of the issues they wanted addressed is truck traffic. Routes 4, 17 and 133 run through downtown.
Walton outlined the pros and cons of the five concepts.
Some of the ideas would be more costly and have greater environment impact than others. One of the more cost-prohibitive concepts is to construct a new, cross country alignment road that would start on Route 133 at Hinkley Hill and run east of the Isaacson Lumber property. It would cross Route 17 and run along or close to Souther Road into Jay, intersecting Route 133 and becoming part of Hyde Road, continuing to the Route 4/Hyde Road intersection.
A plan that could be done with minimum impact but which did not address the railroad crossings would be to relocate the centerline on Depot and Main streets toward the side of the road with the town office and the Nason Block building. This would mean reducing the width of the sidewalk in front of the town office to the same width as the sidewalk in front of Weber Insurance building. The plan would eliminate on-street parking between Water Street and the town office in front of Weber Insurance, eliminate both parking spaces in front of Nason Building, and eliminate the crosswalk on Main Street in front of the Chuck Wagon Restaurant.
Walton said there is plenty of off-street parking, which was not filled to capacity the day the study was conducted.
Another concept would be to construct a new road downtown opposite Bridge Street, making a four-way intersection with Main Street. The road would run through the Cumberland Farms lot, cut up the hill and cross Church and Union streets and intersect Depot Street at Pleasant Street. That road would be designated as Routes 17 and 133.
Walton said she is hoping to get feedback from selectmen and Planning Board members before she submits the study to the state June 30.
She said she would also make recommendations to increase enforcement of speed limit and to install flashing lights in the school zone.
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