Members of a Westbrook group will air their concerns about a state plan for a Route 302 roundabout at a meeting April 15.

An unofficial committee made up of a city councilor, business owners and residents is continuing a charge against a proposed roundabout at the intersection of Route 302 and Duck Pond and Hardy roads in Westbrook.

A public meeting Wednesday, April 15, hosted by the Maine Department of Transportation, is meant to solicit feedback on the roundabout proposal from local residents. There will not be a shortage.

Many believe the Duck Pond and Hardy roads-Route 302 intersection has become more dangerous in the past several years. The only traffic control is a flashing yellow light on Route 302 and flashing red facing Duck Pond and Hardy roads, along with stop signs.

Two years ago, Westbrook City Councilor Mike Sanphy, along with residents Deb Shangraw and Phil Spiller Jr. (the son of former Westbrook Mayor Phil Spiller), began their affiliation by gathering information on the intersection and advocating for a fix.

Two public meetings followed in 2012, with Sanphy and other neighborhood residents pushing for a full traffic light at the intersection, which would allow commuters coming from Hardy or Duck Pond roads easier access, as well as a pedestrian crossing.

However, traffic studies conducted by the state have indicted that the intersection doesn’t meet the traffic count required for a light. Instead, the state has taken the position that a roundabout would provide the safest option for improvement there, while not disrupting traffic flow. Route 302 is a major corridor used by commuters coming from western suburbs into Portland, and vice versa.

Last June, the Westbrook City Council voted 5-2 to allow the Department of Transportation to proceed with preliminary engineering and design for a roundabout at the intersection.

On Wednesday, Sanphy, Shangraw and Spiller were at the newly reopened Duck Pond Variety, which sits at the intersection, talking with owner Josh Gelston.

Gelston says his store, which dates back to the 19th century, is also a major outlet for snowmobilers, who cross the road frequently during the winter months. He said snowmobilers would drive right over the roundabout to get to his store.

Gelston recognizes the history of the neighborhood, and plans on placing historic photos of the site on the walls of the store. The history is a main argument of the group – a roundabout would destroy the historic feel of the neighborhood.

Brian Fullerton, a former Westbrook firefighter who was also at the store, also voiced his concern for the plan.

“It seems crazy,” he said.

The group, however, isn’t against roundabouts in general. The consensus is that a roundabout simply doesn’t make sense for this intersection. With buildings crowding the properties on three of the four corners, Sanphy said, there is not enough space to build an adequate traffic circle.

“Roundabouts work,” Spiller said, adding that they reduce accidents. He also said there were a number of people at the previous meetings who warmed to the idea of a roundabout. However, he said, rotaries are not often found in historic districts, on hills or in confined spaces.

“There are historical landmarks involved here,” he said.

The group also has time on its side. According to the state’s project schedule, nothing is on the books for the intersection until 2018.

Leading the discussion next week will be John Rodrigue, a project manager for the Maine Department of Transportation. On Wednesday, Rodrigue said that the department does not yet have any design plans for the intersection.

Bill Umbel, the owner of Lenny’s Pub in the Hawkes Plaza building, which is slated to open in May, said he sees speed of travel as the most immediate problem.

“Can we just get everyone to slow down just a little bit?” he said.

Umbel said commuters travel through the intersection at high speeds, especially coming from a straightaway from the west.

“Let’s start with that, then we’ll look at the traffic study and see what the options are.”

Umbel also agreed with the argument that a roundabout doesn’t fit the area.

“They work, but when you try to retrofit them into an old location, that’s when it gets complicated,” he said. “It gets expensive fast.”

Sanphy said the small area of the intersection would create a dangerous roundabout, which could potentially cause rollovers of large trucks that frequent Route 302.

“It puts trucks at a disadvantage going into the turn because of the weight shift,” he said.

Gelston said that when gas tankers deliver to the store, they carry 8,000 gallons of gas. When they arrive, he said, they would be coming uphill or downhill into the roundabout and turning quickly into the store property.

City Engineer Eric Dudley has said that the state has multiple criteria that an intersection must meet in order to be considered for a traffic light. He said a major consideration is the frequency of left turns from the intersecting streets (Hardy and Duck Pond roads) to the highway or route.

“There’s nowhere near enough left turns coming off the minor streets to the major street to even come close to warrant a light,” he said last year, based on a previous study.

Dudley also said that with roundabouts, “you don’t see the type of accidents that you do with other types of intersections.”

Al Hawkes, the country music legend who established Hawkes Plaza, said this week that the people of the surrounding community have “begged” for a traffic light for years.

He said it would allow pedestrians to cross the street with all vehicles stopped.

“With a roundabout, these people will have to still dodge moving traffic more dangerously,” he said, also adding that local residents like the “rural appearance and character of the area and we think the roundabout will destroy that appearance.”

Andrew Turcotte, Westbrook’s fire chief, said he’s planning to attend the meeting. He said from a safety point of view, the fire department would look at how a roundabout would affect traffic flow and access.

But, he said, the city needs to determine what information the traffic engineers have gathered.

“I can’t tell you which one is going to be better,” he said.

Standing by the historic Hawkes TV sign off Route 302 in Westbrook are, from left, City Councilor Mike Sanphy, Duck Pond Variety owner Josh Gelston, Lenny’s Pub owner Bill Umbel, local resident and business owner Deb Shangraw and local resident Phil Spiller Jr. They are united against a proposed roundabout at the Route 302 and Duck Pond and Hardy roads intersection. Staff photo by Andrew Rice