PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — TYLin International and Maine Department of Transportation presented their Village Partnership Initiative feasibility study last week to a group of Presque Isle residents.
TYLin International’s feasibility study began in March as their employees surveyed and assessed the areas on Route 1 with a focus between Maple Street to the intersection of Park Street and Allen Street for possible improvements to roads and sidewalks.
The listening session was held in the multi-purpose room at the University of Maine at Presque Isle on Thursday evening, where residents gave feedback on existing issues such as speeding vehicles coming into town, sidewalks that are not ADA compliant, and on solutions that would improve the roads, bike paths and walking areas of downtown Presque Isle.
“We had a wide range of concerns expressed, mostly around pedestrian safety and the need for crosswalks both in the northern and southern parts of the city area,” said Chris Helstrom, senior highway engineer for TYLin International, a global engineering firm the city contracted with to do the survey.
The Village Partnership Initiative is in the planning stage of its project for roads and sidewalks, so they are identifying existing conditions and improvements before raising funds through grants or discretionary funds, Helstrom said.
One point of contention was over possibly putting a roundabout in what is called “the five fingers of death,” where State Street intersects with Mechanic, Dyer and Parsons streets.
City Council member Kevin Freeman pointed out how the roundabout has been talked about before for the past 30 years and should be off the table. He said the project should concentrate on improving Main Street, the bike paths and sidewalks instead.
Another issue that came up was the markings on the road for turning lanes and crosswalks that haven’t been redone since the snow melted due to scheduling issues.
The community was on a similar page about wanting to make the downtown area more vibrant and pedestrian friendly, said Jade Hopkins, Presque Isle resident.
Other concerns were that the on-street parking is not wide enough, sidewalks don’t comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, accessibility on the sidewalks and sidewalks are too few and difficult for seniors to see.
Some concerns were over speeding going down the hill for the University of Maine at Presque Isle into the city, said Joy Barassi-Saucier, executive director for Aroostook Agency on Aging.
The difficulty of big trucks navigating the streets and having to make wide turns on narrow passageways like Academy or State streets. Presque Isle resident Rob Kipp suggested that Main Street be altered from four lanes to three and use the extra space for wider sidewalks or a bike lane.
“We’d love to see pedestrian and bike safety increase around here,” Kipp said.
Some pedestrians use the ATV, or Aroostook River trail to avoid the high traffic areas, but have to make sure they get to where they are going before it gets too dark.
“[The listening session] definitely gave me a better understanding of the precise areas they were looking at and the kinds of ideas they were exploring, which all seemed really encouraging,” Hopkins said.
Draft recommendations will be revealed by TYLin International at the next meeting in September. TYLin officials learned a great deal about how Presque Isle residents care about pedestrian safety during the two-hour listening session, said Tom Errico, senior associate at TYLin International.
The final report for the Village Partnership Initiative will be available by the end of 2023.
