WOOLWICH — Nearly 100 collisions have occurred on a stretch of Route 1 in Woolwich in the past five years, two with deadly results. Now, after a recent crash left one local man critically injured, a local lawmaker is raising an alarm, even though the state considers that stretch of Route 1 to be relatively safe.
According to the Department of Transportation, there have been 94 crashes over the past 5 years within 2-mile stretch north of the Sagadahoc Bridge in question.
Two of those crashes were fatal, killing three people and injuring three more. Of those 94 crashes, 65 didn’t involve injuries.
A principal arterial highway, this stretch of Route 1 sees about 18,000 vehicles pass through day, with large spikes in traffic around Bath Iron Works shift changes.
“It’s not a high crash area by our standards,” said Paul Merrill, spokesman for the Maine Department of Transportation.
Given the high traffic volume on this part of the highway, “it’s relatively safe,” Merrill said.
Maine House member and Woolwich Selectwoman Allison Hepler said she wants the transportation department to conduct a traffic safety audit. Hepler said the board supported her request to at least have the department look at traffic safety in the area.
Hepler suggested the 55-mph speed limit sign for northbound traffic located prior to George Wright Road be moved past the intersection. Likewise, she wants to know if the 35-mph sign for southbound traffic could be moved to prior to the George Wright Road to slow traffic sooner.
Another option could be to extend the centerline rumble strip to the stretch of road between Taste of Maine and George Wright Road.
However, Merrill said added that traffic measures will not stop bad driving, noting that two fatal crashes that happened in the past five years appear to have been caused by driver error.
RESPONSE TO RECENT CRASH
On Monday morning, the driver of a northbound GMC Penske cargo van crossed the centerline and crashed into three southbound vehicles, according to the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office. Three drivers were treated and released at a Brunswick hospital, but 57-year-old Barry Wyman was still listed in critical condition at Maine Medical Center in Portland Tuesday, according to Chief Deputy Brett Strout.
Strout said that as of Tuesday no charges had been filed as a result of the crash. He said the sheriff’s office has a theory about why the van driven by William Young, 55, of Topsham crossed into oncoming traffic, but wouldn’t elaborate, as the investigation is ongoing.
“We’ll wait and see what the outcome is of this crash and let the sheriff’s office do its job and tell us what went wrong and see if there’s any new changes we should make,” Merrill said. “But at this point, that stretch of road is not something that rises to the level of considering changes in the near future.”
Strout said the state’s transportation department has taken steps to improve safety on that stretch of road in Woolwich in the past, including pushing back the northbound lane merger, which used to be by Taste of Maine, and a centerline rumble strip.
From his perspective, “94 crashes in five years is a lot of accidents regardless of the traffic that goes through there,” Strout said.
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