Howard Street traffic fixes headed for council

BANGOR – City councilors next week will take another whack at addressing increasing traffic pressures on Howard Street, part of a route many drivers often use as a shortcut to Stillwater Avenue and the busy Bangor Mall shopping area.

This time around, councilors will consider implementing three potential fixes recommended by a consultant tapped to find ways to keep Howard accessible for neighborhood and emergency access, while making it less attractive for through-motorists and those who want to use it as a shortcut.

The matter was referred to the full council Tuesday night by members of the council’s transportation and infrastructure committee, chaired by Councilor Gerry Palmer.

The recommendations, developed by transportation engineer John Theriault of the Bangor firm Ames A/E, would cost about $25,000 to implement, according to City Engineer Jim Ring, who said the work could be completed as soon as late May.

Though the recommendations are expected to reduce speeds on Howard Street by about 5 mph, which would bring them within the 25 mph speed limit there, they likely won’t do much in the way of reducing the volume of vehicles using that street, which is seeing average traffic of 3,500 vehicles a day, Theriault noted during the committee meeting.

The three recommendations call for:

. Building a small island in the center of Howard Street where it intersects with Angela Street. The island would require motorists to slow down while driving around it.

. Building a raised crosswalk, also known as a speed table, on Howard Street, about 550 feet north of Garland Street. The crosswalk would connect the sidewalks on either side of the street, which Theriault said would help reduce driver speeds in this location.

. Limiting access to Howard Street to right in-right out movements, which would require most through-traffic wanting to turn left onto Howard to get to Stillwater Avenue and Hogan Road by way of State Street.

Because the first two recommendations proved acceptable to city officials and East Side residents surveyed last month, they will be the subject of one of two council orders that will appear on the agenda for the council’s next regular meeting, set for 7:30 Monday night at City Hall.

The third recommendation, which would ban left turns from State Street onto Howard Street, proved more controversial. Some councilors, Annie Allen among them, think more study is needed before it is implemented to make sure the city does not worsen an already bad situation.

The Howard Street traffic problem, which has grown worse in recent years, has been the subject of numerous meetings, both at City Hall and in the affected neighborhood.

Though councilors considered a plan to make the middle section of the street one-way, that concept was shot down in a 6-2 vote.

The councilors also had a neighborhood meeting in January, but the 70 or so residents of Howard and nearby affected streets reached no consensus for a solution.