Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[yakra]

https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/05/28/road-closed-route-1-cyr-plantation-washed-out/

[Alps]

https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/05/28/road-closed-route-1-cyr-plantation-washed-out/

places I never knew existed, but i guess someone lives there
everyone to 1A

[yakra]

[froggie]

^ Is there a timelapse video showing the demolition and installation?

[yakra]

The demolition is largely obscured by the new spans in the foreground but here's one from WCSH:

[fwydriver405]

I just saw my first Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (also called a High intensity Activated crossWalK, HAWK) in the entire State of Maine in Portland, at the intersection of Congress and Lascell Streets. It appears to have been installed 2-3 weeks ago from the last time I drove thru there. This used to be just a standard RYG ped signal.

MaineDOT has historically been opposed to PHBs, instead prefering Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) (from what I'm told after doing numerous crosswalk projects in the state), but I noticed this was installed under WIN LAP018664.00 from a source I was told by. So I'm not sure if the DOT is testing out PHBs and using this as a trial location, or if this was a City of Portland installation and Portland wanted to test the PHBs.

Here is what I observed:
- The cabinet seems to be reused from the old setup, but I'm unsure if they replaced the controller as well (Believe it was an old TS1 controller).
- The flashing phase DOES NOT happen until after the FDW ends. It flashes red (in the normal wig-wag setup) for 5 seconds before going dark.
- Some drivers seem to understand what to do during the flashing red phase (treat as STOP sign, then proceed then clear) unlike in New Hampshire, but some drivers just sat there until it went dark.
- There were some red light runners well after the WALK phase was active and the red lights were activated.

Have any more of these appeared statewide as a PHB? For the record I'm not talking about the one in Scarborough which acts as an Emergency Vehicle Hybrid Beacon, installed in the mid 2010s.

[DRMan]

For the record I'm not talking about the one in Scarborough which acts as an Emergency Vehicle Hybrid Beacon, installed in the mid 2010s.

Is it just the photo, or does that Scarborough beacon have all red signals, including the one on the bottom that would usually be yellow?

[yakra]

If memory serves, they're all red.

[fwydriver405]

Exit 45, as a trumpet interchange on the Maine Turnpike will offically close down for good on Friday, 30 September and reopen on Monday, 3 October as a diamond interchange:

https://www.maineturnpike.com/Projects/Construction-Projects/Exit-45.aspx#:~:text=Exit%2045%20will%20be%20closed,toll%20plazas%20and%20wider%20bridge.

For the record I'm not talking about the one in Scarborough which acts as an Emergency Vehicle Hybrid Beacon, installed in the mid 2010s.

Is it just the photo, or does that Scarborough beacon have all red signals, including the one on the bottom that would usually be yellow?

The two top signals are red, and the bottom section is yellow. I have no idea what the light sequence is for these Emergency Vehicle Beacons especially during the red phase.

[shadyjay]

Someone enlighten me...

Quote from the Maine Tpke press release:

Highway design engineers had determined that the Exit 45 interchange, originally designed for the Turnpike Portland-Augusta expansion in 1955, could no longer handle the increased traffic volumes of this century.

So a free flowing interchange can't handle increased traffic volumes, so we put up traffic lights instead?  Really?

[fwydriver405]

Someone enlighten me...

Quote from the Maine Tpke press release:

Highway design engineers had determined that the Exit 45 interchange, originally designed for the Turnpike Portland-Augusta expansion in 1955, could no longer handle the increased traffic volumes of this century.

So a free flowing interchange can't handle increased traffic volumes, so we put up traffic lights instead?  Really?

From what I'm told, I believe the signals are going to be a temporary thing (given they are on span wire with wood poles and they are using a refurbished TS2 controller and cabinet) since part of the Exit 45 reconfiguration is for the proposed Gorham Bypass work that is still TBD as of this post. How true that is I'm not 100% sure of. (Signal Plans)

As always the signal layout seems to use a lot of post mounting as seen with past HTNB installations, even with the 5-section signal coming from the ramp. It appears the signals are on soft recall on Phase 2 (the Exit 45 SB off ramp) most of the time until a call from Phase 4 (coming from WB 703 to turn left onto the SB Turnpike) is placed. The signals appear to be on "Free" 24/7 so Phase 4 should get serviced once Phase 2 serves its minimum or maximum green.

This also will be the first Arrow Per Lane sign ever installed in Maine to my knowledge - it will be installed after the Maine Mall Rd exit heading in the WB direction to the Maine Turnpike.

[sturmde]

Someone enlighten me...

Quote from the Maine Tpke press release:

Highway design engineers had determined that the Exit 45 interchange, originally designed for the Turnpike Portland-Augusta expansion in 1955, could no longer handle the increased traffic volumes of this century.

So a free flowing interchange can't handle increased traffic volumes, so we put up traffic lights instead?  Really?

The combination of a 1955 tollbooth in the half-clover of a heavy traffic exit serving Maine Mall, and single lane ramps couldn't handle traffic volumes, no.  The new diamond has a separate SB tollbooth and NB tollbooth with more ORT lanes, and ties in with the expansion of the Maine Turnpike between exits 44 and 48.  Most of the time, traffic headed WB on 703 that turns left to go SB will have a green.  Only when the rare car SB on 95 wants to go EB on 703 will the signal change phase.

It'll get even messier someday when they figure out how and where to build the Gorham Connector west to the roundabout intersection of ME 112 & 114 south of Gorham where 703 will someday run.  Then, the old half trumpet wouldn't have worked at all: you'd need a cloverleaf... so the diamond made most sense.

[fwydriver405]

The combination of a 1955 tollbooth in the half-clover of a heavy traffic exit serving Maine Mall, and single lane ramps couldn't handle traffic volumes, no.

I used the Maine Mall Rd to ME Route 703 WB ramp very frequently in the summers of 2021 and 2022 and I saw either close rear ends from people yielding to 703 traffic (from drivers not expecting to stop), or most commonly, close calls from drivers quickly dashing left from that on ramp to try to get to the two E-ZPass lanes to the left. I'm not surprised that the former toll plaza (or toll house? There used to be a sign sugessting it was such as of August 2022.) was a High Crash Location by MaineDOT.

Most of the time, traffic headed WB on 703 that turns left to go SB will have a green.  Only when the rare car SB on 95 wants to go EB on 703 will the signal change phase.

Based on the signal plans (see reply #410), what you mentioned above is actually the reverse. The soft recall is actually on Phase 2, which is the I-95 SB off ramp to ME Route 703 EB movement. Assuming the signals have serviced their min greens and dwelling on ø2 with no calls on it, Phase 4 which is the ME Route 703 to I-95 SB on ramp movement will have to wait a minimum of 6 seconds (4s Y+2s AR).

[vdeane]

I used the Maine Mall Rd to ME Route 703 WB ramp very frequently in the summers of 2021 and 2022 and I saw either close rear ends from people yielding to 703 traffic (from drivers not expecting to stop), or most commonly, close calls from drivers quickly dashing left from that on ramp to try to get to the two E-ZPass lanes to the left. I'm not supposed that the former toll plaza (or toll house? There used to be a sign sugessting it was such as of August 2022.) was a High Crash Location by MaineDOT.

They probably could have also taken care of that by doing a slight widening of the Turnpike Connector so that traffic doesn't have to merge before the booths and move one of the E-ZPass lanes to the far right lane so that traffic doesn't have an incentive to gun it over to the left.

[shadyjay]

Contract plans are out as the Saco interchange project is going out for bid.  The project will add a new exit, #35, on the Maine Turnpike in Saco, at the location of the original then-Exit 5 (before I-195 was built).  The existing ramps to/from the Saco Hotel and the turnpike northbound will essentially be maintained but modified and will intersect with ME 112.  The northbound onramp will be an operational lane, ending at Exit 36.  Southbound, Exits 35 & 36 will leave the turnpike combined with a C&D road separated from the mainline.  Traffic entering from Exit 36 (I-195) will be in the C/D road and have to get over 1 lane left to get to I-95 South, while traffic is exiting right at new Exit 35, a new set of ramps on the west side of the turnpike (the new interchange will not be a trumpet). 

Sign plans call for the new exit to be signed "EXIT 35/112 TO 1/Saco/Buxton" (northbound) and "EXIT 35/112 TO 1/Saco/Biddeford" (southbound).  Sign plans begin on Page 193 of Plan Set 1 of 3 (see under "Additional Info"), accessible from this page:  https://www.maineturnpike.com/Projects/Construction-Contracts/Interchange-Improvements-Saco.aspx

[plain]

Some vids and pics celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Maine Tpk.

https://www.maineturnpike75.com/

[Plutonic Panda]

Is extending I-95 north likely to happen?

https://www.mainepublic.org/business-and-economy/2023-03-15/legislature-mulls-whether-to-study-expanding-i-95-from-houlton-to-fort-kent

[1]

Just for access to Presque Isle (9k) and Caribou (7k)? I don't think it's worth it. For anyone going farther, NB 2 is already a freeway.

[The Ghostbuster]

Forget it! If traffic counts warrant it (and I highly doubt they do), they should expand US 1 to four lanes, with bypasses around the towns it presently goes through. I'm sure everyone will agree, pigs will fly and water will run uphill before that happens.

[froggie]

A Presque Isle bypass has been proposed.  A small section between Conant Rd and ME 163 was completed in 2019 as an at-grade road.  Last fall, the project received a $44M INFRA grant to finish the southern part of the bypass, from Conant Rd south to existing US 1.

I've found references that the city of Presque Isle preferred a western bypass instead of the currently planned eastern bypass, but they have since signed off on an eastern bypass.

A 1988 study by the state Legislature recommended a Mars Hill bypass, truck/passing lanes, and shoulders.  The Mars Hill bypass was reaffirmed in a 2008-09 study (which was done by VHB but is no longer on their website).

Besides the aforementioned bypasses and an occasional passing lane, I don't see a pressing need for anything beyond spot improvements.

[Plutonic Panda]

Thanks for the perspective. I haven’t been anywhere close to Maine but I can’t wait to visit as Lobster is my favorite food. Interesting to see such low traffic counts. I wonder why they’re proposing it then.

[JREwing78]

Is extending I-95 north likely to happen?

Great Plains and Western states might entertain the notion of a 4-lane controlled-access expressway with those traffic numbers, but Eastern states would find vehicle-per-day figures under 7000 pretty low and hard to justify.

Caribou, ME is about as middle-of-nowhere as you can get east of the Mississippi. I-95 is so empty east of Bangor that they posted a 75 mph speed limit, and you're more likely to have a collision with a bear or moose than another vehicle. The section of US-1 between Houlton and Caribou would be similarly empty as a 4-lane highway, let alone a fully limited-access freeway.

North of Caribou, neither ME-161 nor US-1 break 3000 vpd - there's no reason to 4-lane either.

Primary reason for a 4-lane there would be safety for truck traffic and to shave maybe 10 minutes off a 4 hour drive from Caribou to Augusta.

[Ted$8roadFan]

The State Senate President (Troy Jackson) is from Northern Aroostook, which may be why the state will at least consider such a proposal. But he is (or will be) termed out soon, so I’m not sure this idea will proceed much further.

[yakra]

North of Caribou, neither ME-161 nor US-1 break 3000 vpd

In Van Buren, Main St has an AADT of > 3300 everywhere between Champlain St and the US1A junction. Tops out at 5435 between McKinley St & Bridge St.
ME161 has an AADT of 3413 as it enters the town of Woodland. In Fort Kent, the segment south of Bridge St is 4587, increasing to 5967 just before joining the US1 concurrency.
From Fort Kent heading toward Madawaska, US1 takes until Pump House Rd for AADT to fall below 3k. Heading into town & toward the int'l bridge, it gets as high as 8267 on the first bit of the 1/161 overlap, N of River St.

[JREwing78]

North of Caribou, neither ME-161 nor US-1 break 3000 vpd

In Van Buren, Main St has an AADT of > 3300 everywhere between Champlain St and the US1A junction. Tops out at 5435 between McKinley St & Bridge St.
ME161 has an AADT of 3413 as it enters the town of Woodland. In Fort Kent, the segment south of Bridge St is 4587, increasing to 5967 just before joining the US1 concurrency.
From Fort Kent heading toward Madawaska, US1 takes until Pump House Rd for AADT to fall below 3k. Heading into town & toward the int'l bridge, it gets as high as 8267 on the first bit of the 1/161 overlap, N of River St.

So, we have some spot locations in-town with higher traffic. But you can't say with a straight face that there's congestion on either US-1 or ME-161 outside of towns north of Caribou, let alone south to Houlton. Certainly there are many other places in Maine that have better justification for a 4-lane highway.

Extending I-95 northward is more of a dick-waving exercise than anything else.