FARMINGTON – Selectmen voted 4-1 Tuesday to amend the town’s traffic ordinance to pave the way for the Church Street project – allowing the street to become one way heading toward High Street.

The vote followed a lengthy discussion that included concerns by Selectman Dennis Pike, who believes that having the one-way heading in the opposite direction – from High Street toward Main – would ensure a better flow of traffic. He said traffic traveling south on Main would be held up while a motorist turning onto Church waited for the northbound cars to come through the traffic lights. He said the volume of traffic would be more easily accommodated with access to Church Street from High.

A grant was received from the state Department of Economic and Community Development, Town Manager Richard Davis explained, to help spur economic activity downtown. The project would also add three more parking spaces for a total of 17 on Church. Parallel parking would be established on both sides of the street.

Sidewalks would be added to accommodate pedestrians, with special lighting through the alleyway by the Reny’s store to encourage parking in the county parking lot on Anson Street.

An advisory committee has studied the project, Davis said, and took traffic counts and agreed that the west-to-east direction on Church would be best. The Downtown Business and Professional Association also participated in discussions over the plan.

Davis said that business owners downtown agreed with the proposed traffic pattern because it complements delivery patterns at the back of stores on Broadway.

Resident Clyde Ross reminded selectmen that the new firetruck that arrived this week will require 19 feet to set up with its equipment, and he wondered if there would be enough room given parking on both sides of the street, sidewalks and winter snowbanks. Davis said there was a total of 30 feet and it should be sufficient.

Selectmen Chairman Charles Murray said the project will be a boon to downtown, making it a better place for people to have businesses.