WESTBROOK —The Greater Portland METRO bus service will begin the Husky Line to connect the University of Southern Maine campuses in Gorham and Portland via Westbrook on Monday, Aug. 27.

Although the bus line hasn’t gone live yet, some concern has been expressed about the placement of its Gorham-bound bus shelter on the corner of Mechanic Street and William Clark Drive.

Greater Portland METRO General Manager Greg Jordan said that location has been well vetted by the Transit West Task Force, which was made up of representatives of Gorham, Portland and Westbrook and bus service has been the topic of several meetings with councilors.

“That location was determined early on as the most advantageous,” Jordan said this week.

Jordan said the task force had looked at having the bus stop at the nearby Mechanic Street bus shelter and then head west toward Gorham. That, however, required turning left onto Main Street at a non-signaled intersection, something METRO tries to avoid. The Husky Line buses will be the only buses using the William Clarke Drive bus shelter.  Route 3 (South Portland-bound), Route 4 (IDEXX/Hamlet-bound) and the Husky Line (Portland-bound) stop in front of the former Mechanic Street firehouse. Route 3 (Riverton-bound) and Route 4 (Portland-bound) stop at the Mechanic Street bus shelter

City Council Vice President John O’Hara raised concerns about the William Clarke Drive bus shelter at an Aug. 6 meeting, saying the buses needing to come to a complete stop on William Clarke Drive to let riders on and off creates a dangerous situation and adds to the congestion of the roadway.

“That, to me, really defeats the purpose of William Clarke Drive as William Clarke Drive was designed to speed traffic, unfortunately, through our community and into the true suburban communities,” he said.

Jordan said 10,000 vehicles travel on William Clarke Drive per a day. The METRO bus service, he said, will add another 29 during the week. The bus is expected to be stopped in that location, he estimated for just 30 to 40 seconds at a time.

The second phase of the William Clarke Drive improvement project – the creation of additional left-hand turn lanes and improved landscaping from Mechanic Street to Conant Street is slated to start next year. City Administrator Jerre  Bryant said he doesn’t anticipate the new bus line impacting that work since the bus service will have been in place six months to a year by the time the work starts.

He said “enhanced public transportation” plays a part in reducing traffic congestion.

Phil Spiller, a Westbrook resident who is a member of the Rotary Club of Gorham/Westbrook, posted concerns online about the placement of the bus shelter for a different reasons. He said the bus stop in that location will impact the site where the organization sells Christmas trees and wreaths every year and is the site of an electric vehicle charging station proposed by the city.

“Neither group was initially engaged prior to placement, ,” Spiller said in an online post. “And now unfortunately, the (electronic vehicle) chargers will be moved to a more hidden spot – requiring more signage and greatly diminishing their visibility/potential to promote (electric vehicle) usage/transition in the community. So Westbrook will continue to lag behind other communities.”

The Rotary will still be able to still operate in that location, he noted, just not in the same way it historically has.

Representatives from METRO will be at the council meeting Monday, Aug. 20. to update councilors about the downtown bus stops and intentions at the Hannaford and Rock Row plazas.

Michael Kelley can be reached at 781-3661 x 125 or mkelley@keepmecurrent.com or on Twitter @mkelleynews.

The location of the bus stop on the corner of William Clarke Drive and Mechanic Street, which by month’s end will service METRO’s Husky Line, has drawn criticism.

A number of METRO lines will be converging on Mechanic Street between William Clarke Drive and Main Street, with Route 3 (South Portland-bound), Route 4 (IDEXX/Hamlet-bound) and the Husky Line (Portland-bound) stopping in front of the former Mechanic Street firehouse. Route 3 (Riverton-bound) and Route 4 (Portland-bound) will stop at the Mechanic Street bus shelter and the Husky Line (Gorham-bound) will stop at the newly constructed bus shelter on William Clarke Drive.

METRO’s Husky Line buses will be stopping in front of Gorham Savings Bank on Main Street in Gorham as they make their way to the University of Southern Maine’s Gorham campus and in front of TD Bank as they make their way to the Portland campus.