HOULTON – Stymied by the Maine Department of Transportation’s assertion that a traffic light is not needed at a busy intersection in the municipality, town councilors opted Monday evening not to take any action at this point to deal with North Street and Putnam Avenue.

During the hour-long meeting, councilors reviewed six choices presented by Town Manager Douglas Hazlett to reduce traffic and improve safety at the intersection.

Town officials have sporadically been discussing the matter since late March, after councilors learned that a DOT study revealed that a traffic light is not warranted.

North Street is an incredibly busy stretch of road that runs through town, while Putnam Avenue is one route that leads to Houlton Regional Hospital.

That stretch of North Street has four lanes of traffic – two that run north and two that run south.

Motorists often face a substantial wait on Putnam Avenue before it is safe to pull onto North Street and into the traffic that is continually moving through the 25 mph zone.

Turning from North Street onto Putnam Avenue can be just as difficult.

When the DOT did a traffic study on the area in 2000, it was designated as having a high accident rate. But a 2005 study showed the number of crashes at the intersection had dropped dramatically since then.

The study only contained data about accidents at the intersection that resulted in damages of $1,000 or more, and also was conducted when Maple Street was impassable due to construction.

After reviewing the new data, the DOT determined that a traffic signal was not warranted at the intersection.

Councilors were not happy about the decision and suggested that accidents have decreased because people have begun using different routes to avoid the intersection, such as turning from North Street onto Smyrna or Maple streets, which then would connect them to streets that lead to Putnam Avenue.

Last month, they asked Hazlett to conduct some research and come up with options to deal with the matter.

Hazlett speculated Monday evening that none of the choices would appeal to councilors.

“The most viable options are the most complicated,” he said, adding that “anything outside of a traffic light has its downside.”

Some of the choices included allowing motorists to make right turns only when exiting Putnam Avenue onto North Street, making Putnam Avenue one-way in from North Street and building a new service road from the back parking lot of Houlton Regional Hospital to Marden’s Plaza.

Councilors pegged many of the choices as too costly or passed them over because of safety concerns.

The town cannot put a traffic light at the intersection on their own, as North Street is part of a state road and the town needs DOT approval for a light.

Councilor Gerald Adams said that he had talked to several people who didn’t feel North Street needed another traffic light, and suggested that the town look at ways to better synchronize the lights along that stretch of roadway to improve traffic flow at the intersection.

Councilor Sue Tortello speculated that building a new service road from the back parking lot of the hospital to Marden’s Plaza could work, but she also acknowledged that it is expected to be the most costly option. The town also would need permission from two separate landowners to complete the project.

Councilor Nancy Ketch said that she wanted to hear how people who live and work in the area of the intersection feel about the options posed by Hazlett.

“What do they want to see?” she asked.

Paul Cleary, the council chairman, suggested that the town send the list of options to the DOT with a letter to show it that none of the options is half as good as the traffic light.

Councilor Paul Romanelli urged residents to contact the DOT about the matter.

“The people need to weigh in on this,” he said on Monday evening.

In spite of all the discussion, however, the council took no official action on any of the ideas.