[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6194328,"mediaKeyId","3864495-af9c38bfea140fe4bebc9a195d97c0ad","parentId",3864495,"title","MDOT hires designer for Washington Street signal; Auburn presses for interim speed controls and enforcement","audioSeconds",494,"startMs",72000,"endMs",566000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3864495-af9c38bfea140fe4bebc9a195d97c0ad&start=72&end=566","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3864495-af9c38bfea140fe4bebc9a195d97c0ad/thumbnail_72000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6194328/Auburn/Androscoggin-County/Maine/MDOT-hires-designer-for-Washington-Street-signal-Auburn-presses-for-interim-speed-controls-and-enforcement","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6194328-c4d19080622a46db986d1bac4ace1def/orig.mp4?Expires=1775401260&Signature=Sz09g78pbGwC8qRA7y1bSzoZ5IaigUPabiMTUU-gaOxYEP5AJz-ws1jeQDl1YQECZI8EQc38cFPXXmh4fMqTLp3M0ebhrRLjcxkBO9jNYiWSLLSfYdMEI9l5OaErWz3YfnoGMxougYJyVp1-7r-WpHw6sOODQF-bi09~meTNqi8PkEYfsKilPOAxGbhh-xDvkMZNk0curgpXmr7TkGbbRyuiucVwcxxSOMSMAlm0x7Ul73g45RWhpWI4zFgixIL9MZyBoP5koQLG9UIDMnfNFwNIuS~StLLXSg8r8vmQSBtL3KgoLhhPh0CgvMYfnG6Z70N0vW9Zi3Wto4fMoi8YzQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-06-16T23:46:33Z","article","Assistant City Manager Dute told the Auburn City Council on June 16 that the Maine Department of Transportation has contracted a designer and held a kickoff meeting to develop plans for a traffic signal at the Washington Street and Beech Hill Road (Danville Corner) intersection.

The signal design is now in a survey phase, Dute said, and the overall timeline from kickoff to installation is about 18 months to two years. “They signed the contract with the contractor to design and implement this. Today was the kickoff meeting,” Dute said.

Why it matters: the intersection has been designated by Maine DOT as a high-crash location, with a critical rate factor of 2.79 and eight accidents over a three-year period—criteria that qualified it for DOT attention, according to Dute. City officials said the intersection also poses a higher probability of serious injury or fatality than many other local locations.

City staff described a two-track approach: pursue the long-term traffic signal through MDOT while pressing for interim steps MDOT must approve. “Number 1, we've asked them to consider a reduction in the speed as you approach this intersection,” Dute said. The city also seeks permission to deploy its electronic warning signs and to add permanent signing ahead of the signal installation.

Auburn Police and state law-enforcement involvement: Dute said the Auburn Police Department has stepped up enforcement in the corridor—about 248 traffic stops in the last six months—and staff expect the state police to consider enforcement as part of their work plan. Councilor Weitzel asked whether the Maine State Police would increase patrols to support Auburn PD; Dute said the state “recognizes that” and that the matter falls to a separate state police function.

Earlier demonstration project and city decision: staff reviewed a prior plan for a temporary “demonstration” traffic project but informed MDOT they would not proceed with the demonstration because DOT had identified the site for a traffic signal and included it in its work plan. Dute said the city notified MDOT that it would not move forward with the demonstration project so the DOT signal design could proceed.

Timeline and costs: Dute said the DOT contractor is in the survey stage, which will determine right-of-way needs, and estimated the process through design, bidding and contracting could take 18 months to two years before installation. Councilors and staff noted an earlier demonstration project estimate of roughly $200,000 or more, which influenced the decision to prioritize the DOT-led signal project.

Spillover and corridor effects: councilors raised concerns about traffic shifting to nearby intersections and corridors, including East Hardscrabble Road, Route 4 and the Turnpike interchanges. Dute and council members emphasized that changing one intersection requires monitoring nearby corridors to identify whether motorists alter routes and create new hazards. “Whenever you make a change to an intersection, you have to then start immediately evaluating what is that doing to the other intersections and other arterials around that location,” Dute said.

What’s next: city staff will continue coordinating with MDOT on speed-limit changes, signing and design details. Dute said staff had asked MDOT to consider a speed reduction on the approach, and they were awaiting MDOT’s corridor definition and approval. The city will also continue enforcement efforts in the corridor and will monitor impacts at adjacent intersections.

Ending: No formal council vote was required; the council heard the update and asked staff to continue coordination with MDOT and to report back as design, signing and enforcement plans are refined.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Auburn, Maine, City Council Workshop & Meeting, June 16, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Assistant City Manager Dute told the Auburn City Council on June 16 that the Maine Department of Transportation has contracted a designer and held a kickoff meeting to develop plans for a traffic signal at the Washington Street and Beech Hill Road (Danville Corner) intersection.","taxTitle","Auburn , Androscoggin County, Maine","taxId",68143,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6194318,"Council creates permanent homelessness committee, adds veteran-service representative",280,6688000,6968000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3864495-af9c38bfea140fe4bebc9a195d97c0ad&start=6688&end=6968","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3864495-af9c38bfea140fe4bebc9a195d97c0ad/thumbnail_6688000.jpg","/articles/6194318/Auburn/Androscoggin-County/Maine/Council-creates-permanent-homelessness-committee-adds-veteran-service-representative","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6194318-01e3bc71f82735bb26554d5e727e70c6/orig.mp4?Expires=1775401260&Signature=aFQ6METtujDi9nE5EzTnjd3onaLRWK0Yq6KkMupnOw~u75A63~npdvWe0qE02wQDeYVVXgEp7HYBsJdQX1bWf~54zZhQRzdxvZwu~hZBLVcVtg0zsV5idiQ8Sji15bxu2Ibt6qSovinxHh6TcLkyhqO7a936Oo8Ju-WAH37WqjTECfUNqpzTm-vqOok3sQhwu0KrIGB4EYTPxyaEDQoqKD2k~l5~2bJcvI1E1MtNdCVecjaVLDDMw20O0qj40ACHiz0mruVyFmbqoO~J5xwcwbvgrTrps5uSD6rTM6liXGpP8i0z1p9nSCp6naNBd3BRpRdT2gtayOTY8NwuMUB3gQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Auburn City Council on June 16 advanced an ordinance to create a permanent Homelessness Committee and amended the proposed membership to include a representative from a veterans service organization.

The ordinance, brought forward from the Mayor’s Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness, was presented for first reading and drew questions about member selection. “There's no carryover, it's a newly created committee,” a staff member explained; appointments will follow the city’s standard posting and selection process.

Councilor Adam Platt asked whether members of the ad hoc committee would carry over to the permanent committee; staff replied there would be a fresh appointment process administered by the clerk. Councilor Ben Weisner moved to amend the ordinance to add an additional member representing a Veterans Service Organization. The council voted to adopt the amendment and then, by roll call, approved the ordinance as amended.

What the ordinance will do: it creates a standing committee with ex officio staff members and nine appointed seats (as structured in the draft ordinance), plus the one added seat representing veterans’ services. Appointments will be posted and made through the clerk’s usual process, with the mayor to nominate the council’s representative.

Action taken: the council adopted the amendment to add the veterans representative by unanimous show of hands; the main motion as amended passed by roll call with five votes in the affirmative and none in the negative.

Ending: the item was approved on first reading; the clerk will post openings and the council will make appointments through the established process.","The Auburn City Council gave first-reading approval on June 16 to an ordinance creating a permanent Homelessness Committee and unanimously adopted an amendment to add a member representing a veterans service organization.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6194323,"Auburn readies FERC mitigation comments and supports raising river water-quality classification",417,1393000,1810000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3864495-af9c38bfea140fe4bebc9a195d97c0ad&start=1393&end=1810","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3864495-af9c38bfea140fe4bebc9a195d97c0ad/thumbnail_1393000.jpg","/articles/6194323/Auburn/Androscoggin-County/Maine/Auburn-readies-FERC-mitigation-comments-and-supports-raising-river-water-quality-classification","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6194323-fdc68d2be9042c77b4213ccede894b06/orig.mp4?Expires=1775401260&Signature=mrj~W2UxQDGZA-RoAaCOcux-MKjBa4Fjp3LHgbbLEe2tim8RUHSwUgvTx4geIKwqQyc-bGDCh1WNlC39OwPlkq-LramVGgeVlqn3hJmfEOC~XoY4k20S1AFGAAPzc0vc1tY3f1gaTb9dcrVPMx5m~DoeiCoyl1YBj6fch6nSy2ZRJjEE7IVsCTa0aypGkrKdYRxQ2OxLn39eR4FIZ4cGcEbRWqhE36OTlaEL3goFJO0M2-7Llb-MDzqEtd0GsEp3UlevG-u~9NCFzQ938HVRlTVDN3wMj6gAvuEpZir5-~05dRH~m4PyCM7xNOF-jY32b~Gh9Xn-VgR-96V8KaQTeg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City staff briefed the Auburn City Council on June 16 about the city’s next steps in two connected river matters: the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) relicensing review for Lewiston Falls hydropower and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s triennial review of water-quality classifications.

“Last time we were here a few months ago we made the decision to file a document with FERC that would maintain our ability to appeal any eventual decision,” said Mr. Cousins, the staff member who provided both updates. He said FERC has finished the study-phase determinations and is ready to begin imposing mitigation requirements in the license process. “At this point we really switch our comments away from asking for any potential studies and really pointing to exact mitigation requirements that the city is advocating for to mitigate the impacts of them using the river to generate power,” Cousins said.

What the city will seek: Cousins said Auburn will ask FERC to include specific mitigation elements in the license related to recreational access, recreational flows, aesthetic flows and improvements to existing parks or access points along the river. He said the city plans to file its comment letter in July and noted the likely administrative schedule: city comments in July, the applicant (Brookfield) responding by mid-to-late September, and an expected FERC decision sometime in 2026.

“We’ll be providing comments specifically on the mitigation elements related to recreational access, recreational flows, aesthetic flows, and improvements to existing parks or access points along the river,” Cousins said.

Water-quality classification: Cousins also reviewed the Maine DEP triennial review. He said staff intend to submit a brief letter supporting a proposal to change the Androscoggin River’s classification from Class C to Class B on a stretch that runs from Lewiston Falls downstream to the Worumbo Dam. He said that, based on continuous monitoring collected during relicensing studies, the river “meets class B here… almost all the time” though there are short, diurnal dips in dissolved oxygen during late-summer warm spells.

Cousins described an August event captured in continuous data when dissolved oxygen briefly fell below the applicable threshold after a brief storm on hot pavement; the dip lasted less than an hour. He explained these were short-duration, warm-weather phenomena rather than chronic pollution, and said the classification upgrade would help lock in current standards so future discharge licenses do not allow a regression in water quality.

Councilor Weiding supported the idea and cited stormwater and sewer separation work as reasons Auburn’s river conditions have improved. Cousins said the regional wastewater authority (formerly called Lewiston-Auburn Water Pollution Control) can meet either standard and that the city would proceed with a short letter of support unless council directs otherwise.

Timeline and next steps: Cousins said the city will file its FERC mitigation comments in July and the DEP water-quality comment in July as part of the triennial review process. He noted that Brookfield has until mid-late September to respond to stakeholder comments and that the council can later decide whether to pursue legal appeal after FERC issues a decision expected in 2026.

Ending: Council asked no change to the staff plan; staff will file comments in July and return with developments as FERC and DEP schedules proceed.","City staff told the council they will file July comments urging specific mitigation in the FERC relicensing for Lewiston Falls and will submit a letter supporting a proposed Maine DEP upgrade of part of the Androscoggin River from Class C to Class B.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

MDOT hires designer for Washington Street signal; Auburn presses for interim speed controls and enforcement

Council creates permanent homelessness committee, adds veteran-service representative

Auburn readies FERC mitigation comments and supports raising river water-quality classification