ELLSWORTH – Residents got a chance to review the Maine Department of Transportation’s revised plans to improve the intersection of Route 1 and Route 172 on Bridge Hill.

The response was generally favorable.

The DOT’s plan would reconfigure the intersection to provide improved sight lines for motorists traveling down Bridge Hill into town on Route 1. The plan would maintain the existing right of way for Route 172 (Surry Road) traffic and would require Route 1 traffic to stop at the intersection. Route 1 traffic now faces a “yield” sign at the intersection.

The plan also includes installation of an island at the intersection that will serve a number of purposes, according to Albert Godfrey, the engineer who designed the project for DOT.

The island will extend down the hill, forcing motorists traveling out of town to decide earlier whether they will continue on Route 1 or take the left lane toward Surry. That should help motorists on Route 1 to be able to determine earlier if they have time to make the turn and head into town.

One of the major causes of accidents at the intersection, Godfrey said, is that motorists coming down Bridge Hill cannot determine which way traffic coming up the hill is going to go.

“They start out and then hesitate. The driver behind them can’t stop and they get hit,” he said. “Most of the accidents that happen there are rear-end accidents.”

The island would change the angle at which Route 1 meets 172 and, with other changes, such as shifting the road slightly, will improve the sight distance for those motorists, Godfrey said.

The project will require widening Court Street to handle increased traffic and to establish parking on one side of the street, Godfrey said. That will require that the department acquire a 12-foot strip of land along the street.

Most residents agreed that the department had done a good job with its plan, which was redeveloped after DOT planners heard concerns about a previous design.

“I’m glad you’re going to try to lessen the impact on properties,” said Dee LaCasce, who was concerned about the potential removal of shrubs from her property. “Those shrubs are our protection from the traffic.”

Although the project will not widen the Route 172 travel lane, it will shift it slightly in an effort to increase the sight distance. For the most part, the road will remain within the existing state right of way, although some trees and shrubs along that area are located within the state right of way.

LaCasce urged the department to find a way to slow the traffic on Surry Road, noting that trucks especially travel too fast coming into town.

Resident Gary Fortier said the problem with traffic on Bridge Hill was not the result of this one intersection.

“Until you get the intersections leading out of town fixed, you’re going to have back ups,” he said. “You have to look at a regional picture.”

Ray Merrill of Orland suggested that the right of way should be shifted to Route 1 traffic, which would ease the traffic backing up on Bridge Hill. Merrill said it would be much easier for Surry Road traffic to stop and see whether there is room to proceed.

“You haven’t improved anything,” Merrill said. “You’ve made it worse because now more cars have to come to a complete stop.”

Godfrey said the department had considered changing the right of way, but that had generated concerns about traffic having to stop while headed up Bridge Hill, especially in the winter.

“There was concern that traffic could back up into town very quickly,” he said.

Engineers planned to meet this week with individual property owners to discuss the impact on their properties.