By Scott Taylor,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – Lisbon Street businesses looking to expand would pay for work on the road, according to a city plan.

Developers could pay 5 percent of what they would have had to spend to meet state Department of Transportation requirements. That money would be pooled and saved to pay for the eventual expansion of Lisbon Street to five lanes.

“No one developer would have to pay for all of that work,” City Administrator Jim Bennett told councilors Tuesday night during a workshop session. “It lets everyone that benefits pay a share.”

Councilors are expected to vote on the new fee at their Oct. 4 meeting.

Last month, councilors agreed to let developer Nino Naous reduce part of outer Lisbon Street to three lanes. Naous, who is building a convenience store at 1930 Lisbon Road, will pay for re-striping from the Lisbon town line to Maine Turnpike bridge over the street.

The road will have to be expanded to five lanes eventually, Bennett said. That could cost up to $8 million. Even if the state agreed to pay for most of that work, Lewiston would have to pay for part of it – and Bennett estimated the city’s share would be at least $1 million.

His plan would let business expansions that would create more than 100 car trips an hour at their peak pay the fee. It would be based on what they would have had to pay to meet state guidelines before Naous paid to re-stripe the road.

For example, a business might have had to pay $250,000 for work on Lisbon Street to get state approval. Instead, it would pay $12,500 to the city. Bennett estimated the fee could generate as much as $300,000 earmarked for expanding Lisbon Street.

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