The Maine Department of Transportation will host a virtual hearing and public comment period this month on a plan to install a traffic signal at the intersection of Washington Street and Beech Hill and Danville Corner roads in Auburn.

The intersection holds the top spot on a state database that ranks the likelihood of crashes resulting in fatal or serious injuries, and city officials announced in June that Maine DOT was moving forward with plans for a traffic signal after Auburn faced pressure from residents over a lack of short-term solutions to address safety concerns at the intersection.

Two passengers traveling in a van owned by John F. Murphy Homes were killed in May after the van, attempting to cross Washington Street, was struck by a pickup truck.

The city had previously considered a demonstration project that would have blocked vehicles from taking the kind of turn that led to the fatal accident, but it stalled after officials could not reach a consensus and MDOT had also proposed the traffic signal.

Michael Laberge, project manager for MDOT, said Friday that the project is tentatively scheduled to go out to bid in early 2026, with construction planned for the summer or fall of 2026.

The formal public comment period and “on-demand” public meeting will begin Monday, Oct. 6 and run through Oct. 22. The webpage with info on the project allows for online comments and questions that will be answered by MDOT staff. Go to: tinyurl.com/449bm9kk

According to an MDOT presentation that will be included on the virtual meeting page, the Washington Street intersection has been classified as a “high-crash location” since 2006, with a “history of collisions involving left-turning vehicles and through vehicles, causing fatalities and severe injuries.”

The contributing factors, it states, are the wide, five-lane cross section of the highway; large traffic volumes; and high vehicle speeds on Washington Street.

Flashing red lights signal traffic coming from Beech Hill and Danville Corner roads, while drivers on Washington Street don’t have a stoplight, and are often traveling over the 50 mph speed limit. An aerial photo taken by Sun Journal staff Friday shows the prevalence of tire marks stemming from turns onto Washington Street.

The project would replace the flashing beacon at the intersection with a full traffic signal, which MDOT found to have the best safety benefit to cost ratio among potential solutions.

According to the presentation, the project is estimated to cost $600,000.

The temporary demonstration project under consideration last fall would have placed concrete barriers and safety barrels at the intersection to prevent vehicles from crossing Washington Street, which is state Route 202.

In June, Auburn officials said the city was also in talks with MDOT regarding the speed limit along the corridor, which was designed to serve as an efficient connection between the Maine Turnpike and downtown Auburn.

On Monday, the City Council will also receive an update on a lengthy study aimed at improvements to the entire Washington Street corridor.

According to a council memo, the study is looking at ways to “improve safety and accessibility along the corridor, including adding pedestrian and bike accommodations, while maintaining or improving traffic mobility.”

One of the major pieces of the study is assessing the feasibility of a reimagined Washington Street, which would turn Washington Street North into a two-way local street, and use Washington Street South as a two-way arterial for commercial and through-traffic.