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Maine DOT maps deer-crash hotspots; Harpswell agrees to request wildlife signs on key stretches of Route 123
Summary
Maine DOT presented 10 years of crash data showing high deer-hit concentrations on Route 123 and smaller clusters on Route 24; the Select Board agreed to identify specific sign locations for DOT and IFW review and possible state-funded sign placement.
Justin Stiter of the Maine Department of Transportation showed select board members a 10-year crash map during the Harpswell Select Board meeting and identified several areas of concentrated deer-vehicle collisions, most notably a roughly one-mile stretch of Route 123 between mile markers 4 and 5.
"If IFW approves the use of signs, then it goes back to the region traffic engineer to decide what type of sign and and where they're going to go," Stiter told the board, describing the interagency review process that typically routes requests through Maine Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (IFW) before DOT decides sign type and placement.
The presentation showed two categories used by DOT staff: "moderate" occurrence (about two to three reported incidents per year over at least two of the last five years) and "high" occurrence (four incidents or more over at least two of the last five years). Stiter said reported crashes cluster on Route 123 between the town line and sections south of the town center; the Route 123 stretch near the town‑line met the high‑occurrence threshold in his review.
Board members and residents discussed mitigation choices beyond signage, noting that signs can be effective only for a period and that long‑term deer population control relies on hunting or other measures. A board member urged owners in deer‑heavy neighborhoods to consider opening land to ethical bow hunting as one population‑management tool.
The board asked DOT to pursue three candidate sign locations that Stiter had identified on the crash map and directed staff to provide specific site coordinates so DOT and IFW can evaluate and, if approved, install state‑funded signs. Stiter said DOT would normally pay for sign production on state roads once IFW and the region traffic engineer approve the request.
The matter requires no local ordinance change; next steps are a board decision on exact sign placements and submittal of location details to DOT for IFW review. The Select Board agreed it had "good guidance" and authorized staff to work with Stiter to prepare a formal request to IFW and DOT.
