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Consultants propose converting Washington Street to paired mobility/local corridors to improve safety and spur redevelopment
Summary
A consultant team proposed converting Washington Street’s separate north/south barrels into paired two‑way corridors with a mobility route and a local street, new signals, shared-use paths, and a potential Rodman–Broad Street connector and bridge; study will add cost estimates and a November public meeting.
Consultants presented a concept to remake the four‑lane, split‑barrel Washington Street corridor between Exit 75 and the Minot Avenue rotary into two complementary corridors — a mobility corridor for through traffic and a local street to serve businesses and new development — at an Auburn City Council workshop on Oct. 6.
"We're looking to make that northbound corridor more of a local street, lower speeds and accommodate bikes, pedestrians and really encourage development," consultant Don Ettinger said, outlining aims to maintain southbound mobility while improving safety and access on the northbound side.
The team described three design options for the mobility corridor (single-lane pairs, a modified pair, and a three‑lane cross‑section at signalized intersections), traffic‑signal concepts to manage new cross connections, and pedestrian/bicycle infrastructure such as 10‑foot shared‑use paths and separated bike lanes in the proposed local‑street areas. Their traffic analysis found that travel time through the corridor would increase by about a minute in peak periods because of added signals; option 3 (three‑lane at intersections) performed best on levels of service.
Design details included center medians, rumble strips and raised crosswalks to mitigate head‑on collision risk once two‑way traffic is introduced. Consultants proposed restricting some left‑turn movements (for example at Allied Road and East Hardscrabble) and creating three controlled connections between the paired corridors, with signalization at those intersections.
Ettinger and Charles Tittleman discussed a proposed Rodman Road realignment and a potential new bridge that would cross the Little Androscoggin River and an active rail line to reach Broad Street — a connection the team said could enable residential infill and reduce congestion in New Auburn. The team has not completed cost estimating; they said construction, engineering, right‑of‑way acquisition and phasing will be included in the next study stage.
Councilors generally welcomed the vision but asked how realistic state and federal funding would be. "If you'd asked me that question two months ago, we might not have said yes," Ettinger replied, saying the team has reduced the project scale to avoid federal triggers that would add time and complexity (for example an environmental-impact statement). The consultants said DOT support will be important to leverage federal funding and that a November public meeting and a draft report by year end are planned.
The study also integrates a land‑use component: consultants suggested zoning changes to allow mixed‑use and higher‑density development along the corridor, and listed financing tools (TIFs, credit‑enhancement agreements, public–private partnerships) the city could use to attract private investment.
Next steps: the consultant team will supply construction-cost estimates, a phasing plan and additional public engagement; the project team expects a draft report by the end of the year and another public meeting in November.
