Orono has hired an engineering firm to study traffic along a stretch of Stillwater Avenue in an effort to make the area safer for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Sebago Technics, based in South Portland, will study traffic lanes, signals and deficiencies for those who walk and bike along the Stillwater Avenue corridor that runs from Interstate 95 in Orono to the intersection of Bennoch Road in Old Town, said Rob Yerxa, the town’s public works director. Orono’s Town Council approved an agreement with the firm during a meeting last month.
Heavy traffic and a lack of facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians make the location a good choice for an improvement project, Yerxa said. Between 2017 and 2019, Orono participated in Heads Up!, a Maine Department of Transportation program focused on pedestrian safety, during which Stillwater Avenue was chosen as a priority area. Input came from municipal staff, MDOT and residents who weighed in during two public forums.
Parties involved in the study, which will take place later this year, are thinking about carrying sidewalks in Orono past the town line into Old Town, Yerxa said. A project to replace the deteriorating Llewellyn G. Estes Memorial Bridge in Old Town is underway, which involves upgrades to Bennoch Road and Stillwater Avenue.
“Whatever needs to be done to align the projects in a sensible way will be considered,” he said.
The study, estimated to cost $110,000, is designed in coordination with a Maine Department of Transportation highway project at Bennoch Road. Orono is responsible for 20 percent of the cost, while state and federal funds will cover 80 percent, Yerxa said.
Increasing safety, reducing traffic congestion and improving access to the University of Maine are among the objectives listed in Orono’s request that sought engineering services. The study is also meant to align with the town’s economic goals and support its relationship with Old Town, its neighboring community.
During the study, the consultant team will look at traffic conditions in the area, including patterns, speeds and how often crashes occur there, according to the request for proposals. It will consider a 2045 forecast of traffic volumes from the Maine DOT. Identifying deficiencies and equity concerns will also be part of the process.
Sebago Technics will eventually create a report documenting the study, conceptual plans moving forward and cost estimates.
Recommendations are meant to help the area become more accessible to those using it and function more efficiently than before. Those will likely include bicycle facilities, crosswalks and sidewalks, Yerxa said.
“We’re hoping that the recommendations of the study will quickly result in implementation funding,” he said.