Some of the suggested improvements to increase safety at the intersection of Routes 2 and 134 and Main Street near Sandy River Farm Supply in New Sharon include:
• Double the size of the speed limit signs
• Trim trees
• Reduce the speed limit from 40 m.p.h.
• Relocate the Route 134 intersection
• Install a turning lane
• Install double four-way flashing lights with brighter bulbs
• Stricter enforcement of the speed limit
Intersection changes suggested
NEW SHARON – State traffic engineers plan to double the size of speed limit signs, do some tree trimming and explore other options to improve safety at the intersection of Routes 2 and 134 and Main Street near Sandy River Farm Supply.
State legislators, New Sharon town officials and residents, a state police trooper, the Franklin County sheriff and a county commissioner met Tuesday with state transportation representatives at the intersection, which has been the site of several serious accidents.
The most recent accident occurred earlier this month and injured five people and involved four vehicles, including a tractor-trailer truck. The truck driver was cited for causing the accident by following too close.
State Sen. Chandler Woodcock, R-Franklin, and Rep. Ray Pineau, D-Jay, set up Tuesday’s meeting to initiate communication and review options to make the travel route safer.
The vehicle traffic going by sometimes drowned out what people were saying but the gist of it was heard.
Department of Transportation engineers Steve Landry and Brian Keezer listened to comments from participants, including suggestions to reduce the speed limit at the intersection from 40 miles per hour, relocation of the Route 134 intersection, and installing a turning lane and double four-way flashing lights with brighter bulbs instead of the single flashing light already there.
Woodcock called for more enforcement of the speed limit.
It was also suggested that the speed limits be more strictly enforced on truckers than operators of other vehicles. State Trooper Randy Keaten said that would be considered profiling and wouldn’t be fair. He said he enforces the speed limit the same no matter what type of vehicle the person is driving.
Keaten also noted that in the last five years, according to state traffic data, there have been 10 accidents at the intersection. Also, 25 have been reported at Routes 2 and 4 on Burgess Hill in Wilton, seven accidents on the other side of the hill at Maxwell Road and Route 2 in Wilton, and five accidents at Airport Road and Route 2 in Norridgewock.
What makes the intersection in New Sharon more dangerous is the narrowing of the road at the bridge over Sandy River, Keaten said.
Landry said the state didn’t plan to reduce the speed there from 40 mph, but will look into decreasing the speed limit more gradually from the 55-mph zone to the 40-mph zone.
He also said he planned to increase the size of speed limit signs to 3 feet wide by 4 feet high, and do some tree and weed trimming to improve the sight distance.
Landry also said he would look into installing double flashing lights with the brighter bulbs, posting no-parking signs on Route 2 near the intersection, and installing additional signs indicating turns ahead, possibly with flashing lights to alert travelers.
Keezer said Wednesday that the trimming to improve the sight distance is expected to be done next week, and that he hoped the larger speed-limit signs would be installed by the end of August.
Keezer also said he would be running radar in the area for a speed analysis.
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