A final plan to make a safer traffic pattern at the intersection of U.S. Route 2 and Route 156 in Wilton will be presented to the town select board on Tuesday night.

The board will meet with project manager Rhobe Moulton, of the Maine Department of Transportation, to discuss the final plans for the project at its regular meeting 7 p.m. Tuesday, said Town Manager Rhonda Irish.

The intersection has a history of serious and fatal accidents including a series of three fatal accidents and other crashes in 2009.

The state has been studying ways to make navigating the intersection safer in the aftermath of the accidents.

The state engineers propose making changes in traffic turning patterns, said Moulton, with the most notable change being a plan to narrow the width of Route 2 that motorists on Route 156 need to cross by adding a protected right turn lane for drivers turning from Route 2 onto Route 156 heading downtown.

Other safety changes, including a blinking overhead warning light, have already been added, said Moulton.

The state transportation department held a well-attended public hearing in October 2013 to gather public input on changes that would improve safety at the intersection.

The project is expected to go out to bid this spring, and work is projected to be underway this summer.

Moulton said the final plan will be presented in detail at the select board meeting.

In the neighboring town of Farmington, selectmen are also considering safety improvements to Route 2. The state is proposing to change a stretch of the road from four lanes to two lanes with a middle lane for two-way left turning.

A state representative said the state will only go forward with the changes if it has the support of the town, which is still weighing the proposal.

Kaitlin Schroeder — 861-9252

kschroeder@centralmaine.com

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