BRUNSWICK NAVAL AIR STATION TRANSPORTATION STUDY - January 13, 2010 Workshop - PUBLIC COMMENTS

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1 Strategy 1 Provide direct access to Route 1 from the NASB - We need to build a regional public transportation bus service like Western Maine has in the Sugarloaf area. We could pool the assets of Highlands, Thornton Oaks, the City of Bath, and Coastal Transportation to create a service for all residents of Brunswick, Topsham, and Bath. - As nice as it would be to have a new, improved, direct access to the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority to foster redevelopment, this is simply too expensive. It would cost in excess of $25M. If we get our hands on $25M to spend on improving infrastructure, we could implement so many more things in the area to benefit all... - Why is a direct connection from Route 1 to the Base needed? The 8,000 military and civilian workers employed there are decreasing. More access and connections will disperse traffic. We can integrate local roads. This strategy is a white elephant from the Governor's Task Force. - If you connect the Route 1 Bypass directly to the Brunswick Naval Air Station, you should do it in a way that does not "shunt" more traffic towards the bike path. The bike path already suffers from too many nearby cars and too much exhaust in some sections (I still love it, though). -...This concept should be reserved for the very distant future after many other recommendations are implemented and there is a DEMONSTRABLE need such that without it, the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority can't realize SIGNIFICANT redevelopment opportunities. - It must connect with the bike path. The path should connect with Bath in the future. - Improve the bike path connection into Cooks Corner. It is not currently viable as a connector for trips from downtown to Cooks. - Make the Base part of the Town of Brunswick by having more roads into the area with normal access as in other neighborhoods, and with rail or trolley / bus connections. - Improve bike and pedestrian access to, and especially within, Cooks Corner. Minimize traffic by allowing people to park once and walk to nearby destinations. - Provide alternative paths around and through the Base to minimize CC traffic from and to southern Route Route 1: New access to the Base must be on a separate level from Bath Road and the railroad. New access could bridge over the railroad. Access was blocked in the past and we don't want to make today's problems worse. - Provide access by utilizing overpasses from Route 1. - There is a need for cross-town access across the south end of the Base. This is imperative! - Provide Bus/Trolley connection between Downtown and the Base.

2 Strategy 2A - Improve mobility along Route 196 (Coastal Connector) from I-295 (Exit 31) to Route 1 including the Route 196/Route 201 intersection and along Route 201 north to Old August Road - We need to implement Topsham's Main St. plan in the 2A study area. We need separation between cars, pedestrians, and bikes. We need more turning lanes and stacking lanes in the area between Canam Drive and the Coastal Connector. - I'm not sure if Colgan and Reichert really have a handle on future conditions in 2A. - I expect that Annex housing will not end up as housing but rather a possible educational use, such as a community college. - We need to divert as much traffic as we can off of Route 201 and avoid having people drive to the Coastal Connector intersection. We must facilitate the ability to access Route 295, rather than forcing drivers to go through the Coastal Connector intersection. - I expect the new high school to be built on the Annex campus. - We need a traffic light at the intersection of Canam Drive and Route We must create options to drive through the Annex to get to the other side: Mountain Road and Tedford Road. - I expect more recreational uses, e.g. an ice rink. - Eliminate the left turn onto Winter St. from Route 201 across from Michaud's. It's redundant with the left turn at the light at the top of the hill. It is a bottleneck and a safety issue, with cars passing on the right. - We should take advantage of power lines to create access to playing fields on Fireside Road. Kids could run, bike, or walk to the playing fields. - The Federal Department of Education should give Annex land to School District 75. Land for playing fields means spectators, which means traffic, which means greater use of Route We need an overpass or pedestrian bridge at the intersection of Routes 201 and 196. We have 1300 students on the Topsham Campus walking or biking to school. Could a roundabout work here? - I expect greater community usage - a community center and programming for all ages. - I expect relocation of the Toyota dealership to the opposite intersection (Pine State Safety Lines property). - I expect a high use of the property along Route 295 where a sedimentation pond backs onto it. An entity, such as a healthcare services provider, that wants high visibility will locate here. - Possible Development (Health Care Ind.) and connector road between US 201 at Old Augusta Road and Route 196 at Topsham Fair Mall Road with a possible signal at US 201 and Old Augusta Road. Eliminate Exit 31 I-295 SB Off ramp to Route 196 west and provide a left-turn to 196 west from the SB Off loop ramp controlled by a new signal. Bike path planned along the south side of Route 196 between US 201 (Main St) and Elm St with a cross connection just east of Village Dr. - This area of 2A will grow significantly over time. - Lots of crashes at US 201 (Main St) at Monument Place - too many curb-cuts. - Need NB exclusive right-turn lane on US 201 (Main St) at Route 196.

3 Strategy 2B - Identify mobility improvements along Route 1/ Pleasant Street to Route Since Pleasant Street carries heavy-duty trucks, could more be done with trees or sound barriers to protect the homes and businesses nearby from the noise? - Could we have an alternate / parallel road along the railroad tracks instead of the Paul and Turner connection? It seems it would be less intrusive to residents and businesses and would maybe cost less in construction and environmental impact. - Consider a roundabout at Cumberland Farms. - Consider a center turn lane on Pleasant Street. - I say no left turns on Pleasant Street. We need a turnaround at each end. - Resign Pleasant Street as Business Route 1 and the Coastal Connector in Topsham as Route 1 - Have fewer curb cuts into businesses. Instead, have a road behind the buildings to provide access with limited entrances from Pleasant Street. - Raised median along Pleasant Street to eliminate left-turns from through lanes, use side streets for U- turns and access across Pleasant Street. - Access management: we have too many entrances and exits. Business owners are amenable to cross access on the back of properties. It is difficult to get in and out, or to make left turns. - Maine Street. / Bath Road.: Pedestrian safety and bicycle safety at the church triangle are concerns. Historic preservation is a factor. - I have a feeling that a direct access to Route 1 from Bath Road. would alleviate some of the traffic through the Maine Street / Bath Road intersection.

4 Strategy 2C Improve mobility along Mill Street from Pleasant Street to Route Free flow at Cumberland Farms: extend the slip lane (removing Cumberland Farms) to push the merge further away from Stanwood Street. - The traffic light at Mason Street and Maine Street is not working properly. It is blinking instead of changing red/yellow/green. - River access - consider providing crossing along Mill Street: (bike\ped) structure over. The river is "CLEAN" - we need to have access. The River Walk is being developed (see Overview Plan). Cushing Street may be a good location for this crossing - with connection to River Walk. - Allow for southbound traffic to flow through Stanwood and Pleasant without stopping or yielding. Adding lanes will not help; fixing the bottleneck at Stanwood and Pleasant will (and will be cheaper, too!). - Close off access to Cushing and Cumberland. - Correct the omitted areas on Oak, High, Swett, et al from the Historic District. - Continue considering lowering Mill Street to reconnect Brunswick's downtown to its waterfront and its Mill. This could allow for underground parking and better traffic flow beneath the Mill area, and aboveground parking and green space. This would be great for tourism and lifestyle. - Allow access southbound from Route 1 to Maine Street. - I would like to see the signs along Route 1, the ones that direct people down Cushing Street, removed, and traffic redirected to the Stanwood/Pleasant Street intersection. - We need better access to Brunswick coming from Bath on Route 1, perhaps directly to Maine Street. - Change existing Route designations. Provide signage at the Route 196 / Route 201 intersection to redirect traffic south (along Route 196 to Route 295 South) and north along Route 196 to Route 1 North. - Terry DeWan developed landscaping along the river's edge of Mill Street near Cushing Street. - Consider a half-interchange (northbound only) at 295 and River Road.

5 BIG PICTURE Station Comments - Brunswick is already overpopulated, with a dangerous traffic congestion problem that is most likely irreversible due to the limitations of the Atlantic coast and the Androscoggin River on either side. Even trying to band-aid these problems won't work. There are numerous intersections that have become very dangerous with increasing traffic. - We need to change Route 24's designation. It should not go down Maine and Main Streets and up Bath Road and down to Orrs and Baileys Islands. It should also be on Elm Street in Topsham and up to Gardiner. - Removing the fences around Brunswick Naval Air Station would be an inexpensive way to significantly improve transportation by bicycling and walking. I second the idea! - People who move to Maine are looking for peace, quiet, and nature since most people want to leave high congestion and overpopulated areas. - Route 24 should go on Route 196 over the Coastal Connector to Cooks Corner. - Restore roads across the south end of the Base. - Parents looking for good schools will be put off by the traffic congestion and crowded aspect and a community that appears dependent on constantly raising taxes. Also, Maine Street in Brunswick has too many businesses that rely on alcohol sales for profits. - Bowdoin College has certainly outstretched itself and has surely contributed to traffic problems from all directions of the campus. Maine Street traffic is a horror by any measure. - People are totally confused. People end up in Richmond when they want to be in Harpswell. No one on Maine Street or Bath Road says "we are located on Route 24 in Brunswick." - If you put in a freight line to the Brunswick Naval Air Station (a good idea, by the way), you should also make it usable for passengers. Why have a singlepurpose track? - We need passenger rail service to and from Freeport / Portland. - We need to build a regional public transportation bus service. Pool all available assets: school systems, Highlands, Thornton Oaks, Coastal Transportation. Model it after the Western Maine Sugarloaf area. - The overcrowding and traffic congestion problem will also be a turn-off to tourists. Add this to a complete lack of convenient parking. Public transportation would most likely become a frustration for most people. - Forget rail to the Base. - Build a downtown parking garage. - Brunswick cannot function like a mini-manhattan. During peak hours, the town actually looks very "ugly," with thousands of cars and trucks filling Maine Street as well as other roads. - Remove as many fences as possible to make the Base a part of the town again! - Maintain Federal Street's historic character as-is (or as close as possible).

6 - Have we considered putting a recycling facility on the base? There aren't many in the state. It would help create jobs and reduce emissions from trucking our recyclables out and we could gain some income from it. - The early installation of a railroad spur across Bath Road and into the Base is critical. To delay a spur until a business asks for it may be too late. The cost for a railroad spur. - My interest concerns the impact on Harpswell, which gets ignored in the planning. The prime issue is reopening Coombs road across the base golf course for Harpswell residents to travel from route 24 across to route 123, without having to negotiate Cook's Corner. I hope there is Harpswell representation at your meetings... - Should through- traffic exiting into Brunswick to points east on Route 1 proceed directly onto Route 1, or is it desirable to have them proceed down Pleasant to Maine Street? It's traffic flow vs. improved business. It's easy for traffic to miss the heart of Brunswick. - System continuity: the main vehicle arterials (I-295, US 1, Route 24) are shown on the map as the framework of the existing transportation infrastructure, as well as railroads. The East Coast Greenway converges in the study area. The 2.4- mile bike path is part of the system. A mapped and cued on-road road through Topsham and Brunswick exists (see for Google Maps). Also, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recently endorsed the US National Bike Route Corridor Plan, which has Route 1 coming through Brunswick... installation will be less now that Post Road and highway work. A railroad spur may create demand for tenant prospects, while the main line is owned by the state. It is imperative to include and use Maine Eastern Railroad as an industry resource during research and review.... Your list should include Harpswell's Town Administrator, Kristi Eiane -- keiane@town.harpswell.me.us...can we show these elements of the "active transportation" framework on maps and plans? Contact me - Tony Barrett - if you want routing and turn-by-turn directions. There is more background on the US Bike Route System I can point you to. Strategy 3 Extend the existing rail spur to the NASB - No Comments