Norway resident Jeffrey Steer explains to the Board of Selectmen why he thinks the intersection of Gore and Harrison roads is dangerous during Thursday evening’s meeting at the Norway Town Office.

NORWAY — The Board of Selectmen directed Town Manager David Holt on Thursday to call the Maine Department of Transportation and ask for an engineer to look at the intersection of Gore and Harrison roads.

Discussion on the intersection was tabled at the board’s April 20 meeting.

At that meeting, resident Ron Estes told the selectmen that he believed the intersection is dangerous at night and that it required more lighting.

During the April 20 meeting, Town Manager David Holt said he had recommended that a streetlight be placed at the intersection “a couple of years ago,” but the selectmen did not take any action at that time.

During Thursday evening’s meeting, Jeffrey Steer, who lives on Gore Road, backed up Estes’ claims about the intersection, adding that he’s “not sure that a streetlight at the intersection is the total answer to the problem.”

He mentioned that drivers ignore the 35 mph speed limit signs on either side of the intersection and drive “way too fast” through it.

“I’ve almost died there three times,” Steer said. “You pull out of Gore Road and the first thing you see is a car’s grille in your rearview mirror. You really have to peel out of the road to make it safely.”

He said that while a streetlight is a “wonderful idea, I don’t think it’s going to solve any of the problems at that intersection.”

Chairman Russell Newcomb said he drives through the intersection every day and agreed that it’s set up poorly.

“I just don’t see how a streetlight is going to be a big benefit to Gore Road,” he said.

Selectman Bruce Cook said that a streetlight at the intersection wouldn’t stop people from “doing crazy things” while driving.

Steer recommended that the town look into a street sign with a low-wattage solar-powered blinking light to place ahead of the intersection to warn drivers to slow down as they drive through.

“I see them all over the place,” he said. “They’re just little, low-wattage blinking lights that would drive home the necessity to slow down at the intersection. I can’t think of anything else to do.”

Holt asked Steer if a turnout lane at the intersection would make it safer.

“I think whatever they can do would help,” Steer said. “I’ve seen some towns put center lanes in the road for people to use when making a turn, and that seemed to help. I just feel like that intersection is an accident waiting to happen.”

mdaigle@sunmediagroup.net