County supports changes to dangerous intersection

DOVER-FOXCROFT – Complaints about the Depot Street intersection continue to plague the town of Greenville and Piscataquis County commissioners, who jointly discussed the issue Tuesday.

Depot Street, which is located in Moosehead Junction Township a short distance from the train trestle, connects to Route 15.

“It is a bizarre intersection,” Commissioner Tom Lizotte said Tuesday.

Much of the problem, according to officials, stems from the high speeds and lack of signals used by southbound truckers hauling wood chips from Canada to Greenville Steam Co. The lack of curbs and trees and the open intersection contribute to the problem.

Piscataquis County Sheriff John Goggin said the blame does not lie solely with the truckers. “It’s everybody,” he said Tuesday.

While there hasn’t been a high number of accidents at the intersection, the near misses continue to escalate.

“For 14 years, it’s been an issue and it’s still an issue,” Commissioner Eric Ward said Tuesday.

Several solutions have been investigated over the years including speed bumps, a crosswalk, and more signs. In addition, at the request of the Greenville Police Department, the Maine State Police Truck Enforcement unit has conducted details in the region and both the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department and Greenville police have conducted radar details in the area.

The Greenville Police Department secured an Operation Stonegarden grant designed to help border communities curb crime. Those funds have helped with the traffic details involving Canadian truckers, according to Greenville Police Chief Scott MacMaster.

Greenville Town Manager John Simko said Tuesday the Department of Transportation would not allow speed bumps within its rights of way. While Depot Street residents support a speed bump on their street, no one wants it in front of their home, according to a survey conducted by MacMaster.

In addition, the DOT does not want crosswalks on its roadways unless there is an adequate line of sight, which is not present at this intersection, Simko said. The only place a crosswalk is possible is next to the Depot Street building. “If we put a crosswalk in there and we’re purposely telling people, ‘OK, here is a crosswalk, you can go across this,’ it’s an uncontrolled intersection,” Simko said. Using it would be like “playing chicken with some of the truckers.”

This week, both the commissioners and the Greenville officials suggested a temporary solution might lie in a movable electronic sign that displays the speed of vehicles. The unit would be purchased by the county and used by its police departments. County Manager Mike Henderson will research the cost and search for grants to help fund it.

Officials hope the long-term solution would be a reconfiguration of the intersection by the DOT. The commissioners plan to submit the proposal for possible inclusion in the DOT’s biennial project list.

From a meeting held with municipal officials last Friday, the commissioners also agreed to list the following primary projects for the DOT’s consideration:

. Route 7 in Dover-Foxcroft from Black Stream south to the Dover-Foxcroft town line with Garland.

. Route 11 from the bridge over Pleasant River in Brownville north to the Penobscot County line.

. Route 11 from the junction with Route 16 south to the Penobscot County line.

. Route 15 from the junction with Range Road in Dover-Foxcroft north to Bear Hill Road.

. Route 15, West Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft.

. Route 15 from Gales road north to the bridge over Kingsbury Stream in Abbot.

. Route 15 from the ledge cut in Monson north to Greenville

Secondary and special projects to be included are as follows:

. Address the sharp and poorly designed corners and the lack of shoulders on the Lily Bay Road in Greenville north to Kokadjo.

. The East Road in Wellington.

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