Between now and next fall, the state will put up new signs to help traffic flow more smoothly and safely in Edgecomb. Bigger, costlier changes could start in 2014 if the state has the money and decides the benefits are worth it, a state transportation official said.

The minor work in the next 12 months should be of some help but won't negate the need to explore other options, MDOT projects manager Gerry Audibert said. “I don't think it will make that dramatic a change,” he said of the signage.

To help deter Route 1 traffic from turning into the wrong lane on Route 27, plans call for the state to turn an existing “Do Not Enter” sign to better face southbound Route 1 traffic; near the Cross and Cochran Roads and Route 1, some motorists now use the left turn-only lane on southbound Route 1 as a passing lane. So the state plans to add more signs showing what the lanes there are for.

A recent safety audit by MDOT also cites northbound Route 1 motorists' “poor sight distance” of Eddy Road. So an intersection warning sign will be installed.

On November 5, Edgecomb selectmen voted to work with property owners and MDOT on safety improvements. The state had asked for the vote on the heels of the safety audit and extensive talks with Edgecomb and Wiscasset selectmen, about how to improve the safety and flow of travel along the Route 1 corridor.

It's too soon to know if projects in 2014 or beyond would disturb anyone's property in Edgecomb, Audibert said. “That's way down the line,” he said. “I don't know if any would affect properties or not.

“We would be trying to stay within our right-of-way and not take private property unless it was absolutely necessary,” Audibert said.

It's even possible no additional changes will be made, Audibert said. Funding is tight and looks like it will continue to be, he said. Plus, the state is still studying what would work best. MDOT will be putting white marks on roads in preparation for an aerial survey.

The state is considering replacing a blinking yellow light at the Route 1-Eddy Road intersection with a traffic signal. That would be about 2-4 years from now, and only if the spot meets national guidelines for a signal, based on the volumes of turning and non-turning traffic.

Selectman Stuart Smith, who has been talking with MDOT officials for years about road issues, doesn't want a traffic signal at that intersection. There's not enough traffic coming off Eddy Road to warrant it, and the signal would  “exacerbate” traffic backups in Wiscasset, he said.

In other prospective projects, MDOT would further address the problem of Route 1 traffic turning into the wrong lane on Route 27. The island there would be redone to narrow Route 27's lane width. However, that project is at least 5 years away, according to the safety audit.

MDOT is recommending the town seek stepped up enforcement of the speed limit for Route 1 northbound traffic near Eddy Road. But Smith said he believes Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett is already doing what he can for that intersection. “How much can you dedicate to one spot? At some point, it's a common sense thing,” he said.

Audibert expects to resume talks with Edgecomb and Wiscasset selectmen early next year, after the state has gathered more information.

Susan Johns can be reached at 844-4633 or sjohns@wiscassetnewspaper.com.