Maine DOT defends flashing yellow arrows at Pearl Harbor Remembrance Bridge as residents and council press for changes

Maine Department of Transportation traffic engineers told the Gardiner City Council on Feb. 12 that a new signal pattern using flashing yellow arrows at the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Bridge has so far reduced rear-end crashes but has prompted resident complaints about confusion and near-misses.

The exchange came during the council’s discussion of a moved-up agenda item so the DOT engineers could return to other commitments. "This change in traffic pattern has only been active for about six months," said Steve Landry, state traffic engineer for Maine DOT, adding the department conducted a preliminary evaluation comparing the most recent six months to the historic crash record for the intersection. "At least initially we're seeing improvement in safety at the intersection even with the flashing yellow arrow," Landry said, citing a preliminary crash frequency of 0.5 crashes in the recent period versus about 0.8 historically for crashes attributed to signal operations.

Residents and several councilors pushed back. "This is reckless to leave…