Workshop addresses downtown PI traffic

    PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — City officials met with members of the Downtown Revitalization Committee on Jan. 25 to continue looking for ways to address traffic concerns in the heart of town.
Present for the workshop were: City Manager Jim Bennett; DRC Chair Leigh Smith, DRC Vice Chair Cathy Beaulieu, DRC Treasurer Luke Rossignol, DRC members Steve Sutter, Scott Violette, Roberta Griffeth, Ted Roberts and Felicia Dixon; and Jan Murchison, project engineer, James W. Sewall Co.
Smith described the meeting as “a brainstorming session and not an opportunity to tear apart the alternatives we already have — just look at, discuss and maybe come up with different ones.”
Bennett said past efforts to work with consultants were designed to “tackle the major issue ID’d as a problem downtown — pedestrians.”
“We want to take a look at traffic and how it’s handled — allow us to have more flexibility with pedestrians. That’s our goal,” said Bennett.
Bennett explained the purpose of the DRC workshop was for members to come up with two alternatives, while city officials would come up with two more.
“Our goal, going forward, is to have this committee come up independently with two models, then the Planning Board would come up with two. Then the two groups would meet with City Council to determine” which option to go with, said Bennett.
The group discussed some of the advantages and disadvantages to consider, including the flow of traffic at different times during the day and how having a rail line in the middle of town affects options.
Beaulieu questioned the feasibility of reducing traffic to three lanes between State and Academy streets, with a turning lane similar to the one on North Main Street in the area of Walmart and Burger King. She said it would effectively slow traffic down and make getting in and out of parked cars more safe.
“It would eliminate speeding. You couldn’t go faster than the car in front of you,” said Beaulieu.
Murchison said that option “theoretically would stack turning lanes.”
“It wouldn’t eliminate turning traffic but would be an option,” said Murchison.
Robertson said truck traffic should be evaluated to help determine possibilities for the flow of traffic.
Bennett said models could be run using the group’s recommendations that would determine the impact on the community. He talked briefly about the option discussed earlier this year that met with public disapproval.
“The model wasn’t particularly liked because of the sacrifices,” said Bennett. “As a community, I don’t think you’ve had an opportunity to have hard dialogue to determine advantages and disadvantages and what the sacrifices are and how to get” where the community wants to be.
“What this is is an opportunity to get information to make the right decisions,” said Bennett.
Rossignol said this was an “opportunity to see what traffic we want to eliminate and what do we want to keep. We don’t want to eliminate (all) because it dries up downtown. Truck traffic is a problem, as is speed. We need to figure out a way to deal with speed.”
Rossignol suggested rerouting trucks along Riverside Drive and looping them back to connect to Main Street.
“We want development, we want traffic, but I think we have some significant limitations — the river, two bridges,” said Rossignol.
“And a big railroad siding. Our big problem is State Street and crossing the bridge, funneling traffic from State to Main,” said Beaulieu.
Murchison said an option might be to make Main Street north one way and Riverside south the other way.
“One difficulty is getting back over the railroad track. The other piece I caution about as you think about this, typically a community that has one-way streets loses a sense of downtown. It works and can work, but there’s a sense of loss,” said Bennett.
Robertson agreed, stating it “would take away from what we have,” and would make Presque Isle more like Caribou.
“The only way we could fix turning movements was to go to the one-way system,” said Bennett, reflecting on the earlier study. “That was the default system, until the consultant came up with a direct access (route) from west to east side of the community. Instead of going through Governor’s property, it would really only impact one property (owned by the Halvorsons and currently home to Country Collectables and the Salvation Army).”
Bennett said the newer plan did everything the first one did, with some improvements, including parking. The plan would create a thoroughfare connecting Academy with Riverside.
“By doing that, we don’t have to do anything with Riverside. It might be one of the models to consider. It only impacted one property rather than three or four as in the other option,” said Bennett.
Beaulieu expressed concern over creating an extended traffic artery through downtown and how pedestrians, already concerned about safety, would cross another busy street.
Bennett noted that the city could pursue funding through possible federal and state grants, recommending the highest amount possible be sought, once an option has been approved. Robertson countered, noting current economic conditions and that the city should only request what was necessary to address speed and pedestrian safety concerns. After the meeting, Beaulieu said she agreed with Robertson, that only the funds necessary to solve the problems at hand should be sought.
The group continued to discuss concerns and what each would like to see occur downtown. Participants did not determine two possible options but will spend the next few weeks thinking over what they’d like to see happen downtown.
A meeting has been tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, Feb . 15 to continue the discussion.