Harpswell officials say they were blindsided by a recent decision by the town of Brunswick to install new stop signs on Harpswell Road, also known as State Route 123, just north of the Harpswell border.
Brunswick, Harpswell’s neighbor to the north, installed the four-way stop at the intersection with Middle Bay and Merriconeag roads in late September, citing safety concerns. Previously, only the two side roads had stop signs.
While some local residents say they agree with the decision, many argue the stop signs have created an unnecessary hassle for motorists. There already have been harrowing stories of near-misses as drivers get used to the new traffic pattern.
“I absolutely do not understand the decision to put a four-way stop at this intersection,” Harpswell resident Rebecca Waddle said in an email. “Why spend money to ‘fix’ something that wasn’t broken?”
Harpswell Town Administrator Kristi Eiane said Brunswick didn’t consult Harpswell officials before installing the new signs. It didn’t even notify them that it planned to do so, she said.
Given that Route 123 is one of only two roads in and out of the peninsular Harpswell, the new stop signs will have an outsize effect on locals, said Harpswell Select Board Chair Kevin Johnson.
Johnson called the new traffic pattern “irritating” and unnecessary. He questioned the legitimacy of Brunswick officials’ safety concerns and criticized their decision not to consult with Harpswell leaders.
“That’s a hell of a way to treat a neighbor,” Johnson said in an interview.
Brunswick Town Manager Julia Henze and Assistant Town Manager Jay Astle did not respond to requests for comment. Maine Department of Transportation spokesperson Paul Merrill said the state agency provided the stop signs at Brunswick’s request.
“The town initiated the change by contacting us,” Merrill said in an email. “Our safety engineers reviewed the intersection and determined changing the two-way stop to an all-way stop would improve safety and reduce the severity of crashes without having a significant impact on mobility. MaineDOT supplied the signs, and the town did the installation.”
Eiane provided the Harpswell Anchor with a presentation created by MaineDOT in support of the four-way stop. It contains historical data on crashes at the intersection.
According to the data, there were 17 crashes at the site between 2013 and 2022. The highest number of crashes in a single year was four, in 2019, followed by three, in 2021. More than half of all crashes occurred in July, August and September.
Six crashes involved a vehicle rear-ending or sideswiping another, one involved a head-on collision, and seven others were categorized more generally as “intersection movement” crashes. One vehicle went off-road, one struck a bicyclist, and another rolled over.
In 2019, 2020 and 2021, there were a total of nine crashes, according to the data. Those crashes had a “critical rate factor” of 3.74, indicating that crashes were almost four times more frequent or severe than expected for a similar intersection.
The data indicated two crashes at the intersection have resulted in serious injuries or deaths since 2003, both occurring within the past decade. It noted that a high share of all crashes at the intersection resulted from drivers on Middle Bay Road failing to yield to traffic when crossing over or turning onto Route 123.
Harpswell resident Karen Renton, who uses Merriconeag Road to get to and from Brunswick Landing, said she fears the unfamiliar traffic pattern will have the opposite of its intended effect.
“I have found that I have to be even more vigilant coming out of the (former U.S. Navy) base, because I’m never quite sure if the car on 123 is actually going to stop,” Renton said. “It’s very counterintuitive.”
Basin Point resident Kevin White said that while he believes it was Brunswick’s prerogative to add the stop signs, he would have preferred a four-way traffic signal.
“The pass-through roads are subservient to the state road and should not have been given equal treatment, as the flows are not remotely equivalent in the least,” White said in an email. “Deference should have been given to 123 with the light triggered only by the presence of vehicles at the side roads, allowing entry at appropriate intervals as required.”
However, the MaineDOT presentation said a traffic signal wasn’t justified because the intersection didn’t experience enough traffic volume or congestion to meet the necessary criteria.
Public reaction on Facebook has been largely negative, with most Harpswell residents voicing opposition to the new traffic pattern. But a few residents, including Beth Pelkey, expressed support for the change.
“Sorry, but I like it,” Pelkey said. “I’ve nearly been taken out a few times from cars not stopped at the old stop signs. I’ve seen quite a few accidents at this (intersection).”
