Lewiston mayor, engineer outline plan to rebuild 1600 West and seek COG funding

Lewiston officials presented plans at a public town‑hall for a multi‑phase reconstruction of 1600 West (State Road 142) and said they will apply to the regional Council of Governments (COG) for funding for phases 2 and 3.

Mayor (name not specified) told attendees the project continues earlier COG‑funded work and that the town plans to request both phase 2 and phase 3 money this year. Marcus Simmons, an engineer with JUB, reviewed design details and said the proposal would widen the existing pavement by roughly 1 to 4 feet on each side, add shoulders and improve drainage to meet COG qualifications for a reconstructed road.

The mayor said the town’s local share would be about $160,000 while the full construction estimate for the phases presented is about $2,000,000, with the COG or other external funding expected to cover the balance. “The COG has said a million dollars a mile is a pretty good number,” the mayor said, and Simmons said the town’s per‑mile estimate came in a little over that figure.

Simmons described safety and design priorities for a rural roadway with heavy farm and commercial traffic. He cited Federal Highway Administration research that, in rural contexts with large vehicles, 12‑foot lanes and 4–6‑foot shoulders reduce the likelihood of head‑on and sideswipe crashes and provide room for recovery in near‑crash situations. “My job here is not to try to convince you to do the project or not do the project, but maybe just give you some perspective,” Simmons said.

Mayor and residents discussed how the work would affect property edges and utilities. The mayor said the town has maps showing existing pavement edges and proposed pavement edges and that most encroachments where pavement widens would be between 1 and 4 feet from existing pavement to proposed pavement. On utilities, the mayor said engineers have assessed the matter and reported the project should not affect buried water or gas lines; Simmons confirmed culverts and any East‑West crossings that require widening would be replaced or upsized as needed but that the project aims to avoid touching long stretches of the drainage banks to limit cost.

Several residents raised safety concerns for children, speeding and whether a wider road would encourage more traffic or become a thoroughfare. The mayor said he does not believe widening will create significant new traffic and emphasized the town’s goal is to allow large farm vehicles and semis to remain on the pavement rather than travel in soft shoulder areas. He added the town contracts with the sheriff’s office for deputy patrols but acknowledged county staffing and funding limit how much additional enforcement can be promised.

On timing and process, the mayor said he plans to present to the COG in September/October and that the mayors will vote on allocations in November; he said the town will not know whether funding is awarded until then. If funded, Simmons said engineers typically need several months to prepare bid documents; the town indicated it would push to begin work the following construction season when roads are dry.

No formal municipal motion or vote on awarding the contract or committing town funds was recorded at the meeting. The mayor said the town will only accept bids if it has the money to pay for them and reiterated that the COG allocation and bid results will determine whether the work proceeds.

The mayor and Simmons remained afterward to show maps and talk one‑on‑one with residents about specific property impacts, mailbox relocation, culvert sizing and drainage district cost‑sharing for East‑West crossings.