HOULTON – For years, town officials have used a combination of public and written pleas trying, unsuccessfully, to get the Maine Department of Transportation to repair the stretch of Route 2-A known as Bangor Street.

Now, a team of legislators has submitted a proposal that they – in concert with municipal officials – hope will prod the state into contributing a portion of the necessary funding to repair the roadway.

Sen. Roger Sherman, Rep. Richard Cleary and several co-sponsors have put forth LD 669, titled, “Resolve, To Direct the Department of Transportation To Make Improvements to U.S. Route 2-A.”

The document will be discussed at a public hearing before the Transportation Committee at 1 p.m. today.

The portion of Bangor Street that is the center of the legislation was targeted for improvements several years ago. In 2001, Houlton voters decided to raise $200,000 as the local share of the reconstruction.

The project has been delayed every year since then.

If approved as written, the resolve would direct the MDOT to authorize the release of the funds needed to improve U.S. Route 2-A in Houlton as was agreed upon in a memorandum of agreement between the town and the department.

The effort to convince the MDOT to repair the section of Bangor Street has been comparable to the road’s condition – bumpy and full of potholes.

The heavily traveled state-owned route, which provides access to nearby Hodgdon, is riddled with cracks and potholes that grow bigger each spring.

Town officials grew increasing frustrated with the situation last year, after learning the state would once again defer reconstruction of Bangor Street.

Meanwhile, the road has become increasingly decrepit, and complaints about the route have not decreased.

Town Manager Douglas Hazlett has maintained that the road has gone from being an embarrassment to a public safety issue, and town councilors have echoed those sentiments.

Along with having been the site of numerous motor vehicle accidents in the past, Bangor Street is also prone to flooding in heavy rain.

The town has made some progress on getting a segment of the route fixed.

Last March, councilors approved a construction area agreement between the town and the MDOT, which allowed the agency to bring in heavy machinery to repair a section of the road.

Hazlett announced news of the public hearing last week, and told councilors that he intends to attend today’s session.