TOPSHAM — The town is ready to rumble.
The Maine Department of Transportation plans to install a rumble strip along must of Route 196 from White House Crossing Road to the Lisbon Falls town line this year.
“We’ve been dealing with complaints from people out on 196 for years,” Town Manager Rich Roedner said recently. He said three fatal vehicle accidents have occurred on the western section of the road in the past year because of motorists drifting over the centerline into oncoming traffic.
Town staff discussed options to address the issue, and raised the question to MDOT about installing a rumble strip. The timing was good, since the department was already organizing a schedule of rumble strip projects around the state.
“Our stretch of the road meets the criteria that (MDOT is) using, which is the number of crossover accidents, (and) the number of fatal accidents stemming from crossovers,” Roedner said. “So they put us on that list.”
The foot-long strips should create enough vibration and noise to alert drivers to correct their steering and safely return to their lane.
The approximately 3.5-mile project will be entirely paid for by federal funds. Installation could cost less than $7,000 per mile, according to Duane Brunel, a safety engineer with MDOT.
A public hearing on the plan was held March 31. Although more than 200 people saw the meeting posting on Facebook, only three residents attended, Roedner said.
One concern raised was about the noise the strips would create.
The grooves found at toll-booth rumble strips and along interstate highways are shallower than those planned on Route 196, and therefore create less noise, Roedner said.
According to the town, spaces are being left between the strips where streets intersect, in areas where passing is allowed, and at driveway entrances, to avoid excess noise.
The cutouts are also shallow enough to keep travel safe for motorcyclists and bicyclists.
Other rumble strips installed around Maine have been quite effective in decreasing the number of head-on collisions, the town noted.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.