SKOWHEGAN — Installing radar, moving guardrails and applying tire-gripping material for better traction on roadways all were part of a fix presented Friday by state highway officials to Hilton Hill Road residents who fear the new intersection at state Route 150 is unsafe.

Residents at the opening of a 3 1/2 hour meeting Friday morning said motorists coming from downtown Skowhegan will have to come to almost a full stop to make the right-hand turn onto Hilton Hill. They said trucks and cars traveling in the same direction will not have ample time to stop behind them, especially in bad weather.

“Someone is going get killed,” resident Bob Ashley told Department of Transportation officials.

The $300,000 project calls for the removal of an aging concrete bridge and a new intersection at the existing, newer bridge on Route 150. Residents worry the remaining bridge will be slippery and the road will be treacherous going up and coming down the hill because the new road is much steeper than it was.

Residents want either to keep the aging bridge in place or to install breakdown lanes at the newer bridge.

“I feel like we’re being bullied,” resident Georgiana Wright told transportation officials. “I’m scared and I think you’re making us prisoners on our own hill.”

Most of the work for the original project has been completed and the road paving is done.

Transportation officials said they attended the meeting Friday and a walking tour of the Hilton Hill Road intersection with residents and town officials to find ways to improve the situation.

“What can we do to make things safer out there?” assistant state traffic engineer Steve Landry asked the assembly of about 20 people.

Landry said a radar system used by the state can be triggered by slowing traffic, which then trips an alert on an electronic sign to the rear of the traffic, letting motorists know that someone is making the turn onto Hilton Hill ahead of them.

Lowering the speed limit in the area also would help, he said.

In addition, material called “tire grip,” a mixture of epoxy and granite chips can be applied to the bridge and to the road surface on Hilton Hill to prevent skidding during bad weather. Landry said the material was used with success on Cony Circle in Augusta.

Transportation officials told residents the intersection could also be widened by five or six feet to allow for an easier turn and guardrails moved to offer a better angle for entry and exit. A curve in the new road on Hilton Hill also could be straightened for better line-of-sight going up and coming down the hill, they said, adding that most of the work could not be done until spring.

The existing street light near the former entrance to the road also would be moved to the new intersection, officials said.

While appreciating transportation efforts to make their road safer, residents wondered if the remedies would be enough.

“I’m still afraid of the bridge,” Ashley said after the meeting. “It’s all a Band-Aid — somebody’s going to get rear-ended on the bridge.”

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

dharlow@centralmaine.com

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