Windham’s lawmakers are seeking changes to the historically dangerous Falmouth Road-Route 202 area.
Windham’s legislative delegation is calling for changes at the intersection of Route 202 and Falmouth Road, the site of numerous crashes in recent years.
The intersection, which is governed by two flashing yellow lights for Route 202 traffic and stop signs on both sides of Falmouth Road, is widely regarded as highly dangerous. While Falmouth Road traffic must stop, Route 202 traffic is allowed to travel 50 miles per hour through the area.
Although dozens of crashes have occurred at the intersection since 2008, the crash numbers have generally dropped since the Maine Department of Transportation installed the second yellow flashing light and improved signage at the intersection in early 2010.
However, collisions appear to be on the rise once again, and following renewed citizen complaints, Windham’s delegation is calling for additional measures to safeguard drivers.
Earlier this month, state Sen. Bill Diamond received calls from Barb Maurais, who was recently in a crash at the intersection, and Betty Jo Cash, who co-owns a business, Onsite Auto Glass, located at the corner of the intersection. Diamond called Reps. Mark Bryant and Patrick Corey, and the delegation subsequently summoned municipal and state officials to the intersection on Aug. 7 for a discussion. Diamond and Bryant, both Democrats, serve on the Legislature’s joint Transportation committee.
“I think this is the first time that the legislative delegation in Windham has ever took this on as a major project and all worked together on it,” Diamond said. “We’re unified in finding a solution.”
In an interview Tuesday, the members of the delegation said they had ideas that could alleviate the situation. In particular, they called for the state to install signs below the Falmouth Road stop signs that read: “Crossing Traffic Doesn’t Stop.” The delegation, as well as Cash, believes that many crashes occur because drivers assume the intersection is a four-way stop or are distracted. The only impediments alerting Route 202 drivers of the intersection are the two flashing yellow lights.
“This isn’t a four-way stop right here, so I think that one of the initial things they were talking about at least was getting down here with some signs that would go underneath the stop signs basically saying that the crossing traffic doesn’t stop,” Corey, a Republican, said.
Bryant also believes that the Falmouth Road stop signs, which are set back from the intersection, are part of the problem. If the signs are moved closer to the intersection, Bryant thinks that could help. Curbing could also help, according to Diamond.
The delegation believes that the Department of Transportation would be potentially willing to fund those changes. Steve Landry, the transportation official monitoring the intersection, could not be reached for comment.
Diamond is doubtful that the state would install a traffic light, however.
“That would be the ultimate solution,” he said. “It costs a couple hundred thousand dollars and the state is really reluctant about putting one up every time. But this is a high crash area and it should definitely qualify.”
The Department of Transportation’s indicator for intersection safety, the Critical Rate Factor, which numerically measures intersections based primarily on the number of crashes that occur at the site, considers an intersection a “High Crash Location” if it has a Critical Rate Factor higher than 1. In recent years, the Falmouth Road/Route 202 intersection’s Critical Rate Factor peaked at 6.98 between 2008 and 2010, bottomed out at 2.24 between 2011 and 2013, and has bounced back to 4.85 in the last three years.
From 2008 to 2010, there were 23 crashes at the intersection. From 2010 to 2012, the number of crashes dropped to 12. From 2012 to 2014, there were 16 crashes. This year, there have been another four crashes.
“The added signals and signage seem to have helped for a while, but there has been an uptick in crashes,” said Windham Town Manager Tony Plante. “We’re looking to the state to come back with alternatives to improve the safety there.”
Betty Jo Cash and her husband, Norm, said they support the smaller changes, as well as the idea of a red light. Whatever changes are made, they need to be done soon, they said.
“It’s not an inconvenience at this point, it’s a matter of how long do we have to wait,” Cash said. “It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. Somebody’s going to die over here – people have – and it’s going to happen again.”
“I’m waiting to see somebody pull out in front of a tractor trailer and, again, it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when,” added Betty Jo Cash. “I don’t want to be witnessing it.”
Local politicians, from left, Rep. Patrick Corey, Sen. Bill Diamond and Rep. Mark Bryant, are calling for improvements at the intersection of Falmouth Road and Route 202, the site of dozens of car crashes in recent years.Staff photo by Ezra Silk
Meeting to devise strategies to improve safety at the Route 202/Falmouth Road intersection earlier this month were, from left, state Rep. Patrick Corey, Maine Department of Transportation representative Dan Loring, Windham Town Council Chairman David Nadeau, Windham Town Manager Tony Plante, Windham Town Council Vice Chairwoman Donna Chapman, state Rep. Mark Bryant, Windham resident Barb Maurais, state Sen. Bill Diamond and DOT representative Steve Landry.Courtesy photo
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