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IV. Brewer, Maine

Why Brewer, Maine?

The city of Brewer was selected as a local example of implementing access management practices in a previously developed area. They have taken actions to redevelop some of the existing areas where attention to access management practices is needed.

A. Access Management Program

Brewer's access management program has taken strong actions in promoting traffic flow along their main corridor, Wilson Street, by providing for alternative accesses for local business, requiring shared accesses between businesses, and taking actions to reduce any back ups and improve safety on local roads. The following are key points to Brewer's access management plan:

  • Brewer has worked to provide connections between parcels (e.g., Friendly's and Twin City Motel) to allow for movement without traveling on Wilson Street.
  • The access management program focuses on using alternative access (e.g., Applebee's, Burger King, and Dunkin Donuts) to reduce the number of driveways on Wilson Street.
  • Another program focus is to change the geometric configuration of driveways where driveways can not be eliminated.
  • Brewer is taking actions to reduce backups onto Wilson Street from drive-through windows (e.g., Dunkin Donuts).
  • After Brewer pushed shared access between businesses, businesses started initiating on their own shared accesses (e.g., Rite Aid).
  • MaineDOT gets involved in any project that is projected to generate more than 100 peak-hour vehicle trips.

What Is It Enabled By?

  • An Impact Fee District was established to provide transportation funding for needed improvements. This fee is in addition to developer costs associated with mitigating site traffic impacts. A list of transportation improvement projects was prepared as part of the establishment of the District to identify how the collected funds would be used.
  • In May 2000, the 119th Maine Legislature enacted P.L. 1999, ch. 676, An Act to Ensure Cost Effective and Safe Highways in the State. This legislation directed MaineDOT to draft rules and regulations for the design of driveways and entrances on state and state aid highways. The legislation also required that the Legislature review and approve the portions of the rules applicable to arterial highways.

What Is Unique to Brewer, Maine?

  • While there is nothing particularly unique, the city of Brewer provides an illustration of a relatively small city that has worked to make the implementation of access management a priority.

B. Outcomes

Implementing various access management practices along Brewer's corridor has successfully aided their traffic flow. Shared alternative accesses have proven successful in Brewer. Program outcomes are listed as follows:

  • The towns have benefited from the interstate running parallel to the main street.
  • Driveways and access points have been successfully managed in an area that has both new and existing development.
  • Shared and alternative accesses have successfully aided in traffic flow with several local businesses.
  • Development in Brewer seems to be service related and is aided because there are interchanges at either end of the street making it "easy on/easy off."
  • Brewer plans to address the traffic congestion issue with the center turn lane. Though controversial, putting in a median will be one of several alternatives to be considered.

C. Brewer Example: Wilson Street

  • Wilson Street is primarily a commercial corridor on the National Highway System that connects Bangor and Bar Harbor. The city of Brewer undertook an initiative to improve traffic operations and safety along Wilson Street. See the picture on the next page for an aerial photograph of Wilson Street.
  • Wilson Street is generally four-lanes wide (two lanes in each direction). Sections have been widened to provide a two-way, left-turn lane. The plan is to widen Wilson Street to five lanes.
  • Dirigo Drive was built as part of the supporting street system to provide a bypass around Wilson Street. In addition, I-395 had been built for through traffic to avoid traveling along the Wilson Street corridor. See the picture below for a photograph of Dirigo Drive.
  • It appears that the construction of I-395 has enabled Wilson Street to grow by attracting businesses. Without I-395, the through traffic would have created traffic conditions along Wilson Street that would have constrained economic development.

Aerial photograph of a long winding road.
Picture: Shows Dirigo Drive-built as a bypass around Wilson Street to shift some of the traffic.
www.ces-maine.com/images/dirigo-drive.jpg

Aerial photograph of a street with the names of businesses and street names superimposed on the image.
Picture: Brewer, Maine
Shows an aerial photograph of Wilson Street and Dirigo Drive.
http://www.loopnet.com/xNet/MainSite/Listing/Profile/ProfileSE.aspx?LID=14660097&linkcode=10850&sourcecode=1lww2t006a00001

D. Lessons Learned

1. Successes

Brewer has seen several successes resulting from creating alternative and shared business accesses along their main corridor, Wilson Street. These access management practices that were implemented have shown distinct signs of improvement in traffic flow. Keys to success are listed as follows:

  • Access management improvements were made by providing connections between parcels (e.g., Friendly's-Twin City Motel) to allow for movement without traveling on Wilson Street.
  • Using alternative accesses other than Wilson Street entrances (e.g., Applebee's, Burger King, and Dunkin Donuts) reduces the number of driveways on Wilson Street and reduces backups onto Wilson Street from drive-through windows (e.g., Dunkin Donuts).
  • Building Dirigo Drive as a bypass provides local traffic an alternative to Wilson Street.
  • Brewer has a very good working relationship with MaineDOT which has helped in the implementation of access management practices when MaineDOT is involved.
  • Brewer demonstrates that access management can be applied successfully in a developed area when implemented correctly.

2. Challenges

Following are several of the challenges encountered in Brewer, Maine with the implementation of an access management program.

  • Many areas in Maine have fully regulated access while others are only partially regulated and have full divided access.
  • There are significant political aspects of regulating driveways on the local level that have had an affect on this area.
  • Dirigo Drive is the new connector road and will have controlled curb cuts, but will have new development along it. There is concern that excessive development along this road will negatively affect mobility.
  • Brewer still needs to consider changing the center turn lane at some point. The public did not respond well to putting in a median, but in the end, it might be the best option.

3. If We Had It To Do Over Again...

  • None identified

4. Risks Going Forward

  • None Identified

5. Other Background

  • None Identified

6. Team Conclusions

The following are conclusions made by our team about the access management program along the Brewer, Maine.

  • Brewer, Maine, has been successful in implementing access management largely by reducing the number of driveways on Wilson Street and by providing alternative accesses for business.
  • Brewer successfully redesigned the traffic patterns for those businesses along Wilson Street that have drive through windows. Traffic from these businesses used to create traffic back-ups onto Wilson Street.
  • Development seems to be service related and is aided by interchanges on both ends creating easy on/easy off access to local businesses.
  • Brewer and the surrounding towns have benefited from I-395 with the redevelopment local business.

7. Important Links

E. Overall Tour Conclusions

Dakota County, Minnesota-County Highway 42

Most of the access management that has been implemented was done proactively and has been effective. Only a small amount of reactive, after-the-fact, retrofitting has been necessary.

The access management measures were implemented during the land conversion process. As land in agricultural use was converted to developed uses, residential and commercial, access was well managed.

Success is due to foresight and long-range planning. There was cooperation and agreement among many governmental jurisdictions involved. An important part of the process was the early identification of a contiguous corridor, agreement by all the jurisdictions that the corridor would be a thoroughfare, and that access management would be the right approach to take.

There is a comprehensive long-range plan that covers the entire contiguous length of each highway. A contributing factor is the plat review authority with both unincorporated and incorporated areas over land development elements that have effects on the roadway.

Maine-Gateway 1 Corridor and Brewer

Whereas Dakota County has been very proactively involved in planning development to maintain good traffic flow, the Gateway 1 Corridor project and the city of Brewer have to deal retroactively to conditions created by the lack of planning for future transportation needs. Keep in mind that the route followed by US-1, and the historic towns along the corridor, were all there long before motor vehicles arrived on the scene. Having brought all the government jurisdictions together to consider the US-1 project as a single contiguous corridor is a great accomplishment and lays the ground work for success with access management.

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