By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — With only one traffic signal in Naples, it is not surprising that drivers know when a red light lasts too long.

In fact, three people have contacted the town hall to mention it.

Blame the state, not the town.

“The traffic signal at Route 302 and 35 has gone back into timing mode,” Naples Town Manager John Hawley said on Monday.

“When the state ground up the existing pavement, the traffic loops were damaged, putting the system into default timing mode,” he said.

Hawley mentioned the status of the traffic signal during the manager’s report section of the Naples Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday.

This summer, the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) was grinding and repaving sections of Roosevelt Trail.

Unfortunately, crews grinding the pavement near the traffic signal hit the loops that pick up on the movement of vehicles.

“There currently is no traffic detection. People have noticed that they are waiting at the intersection a little bit longer than they are used to,” he said.

“We are aware of the problem,” he said.

“We are waiting to hear back from DOT as to when it will be repaired,” he said.

In related news, “It was the intent of MDOT to come through the Causeway with new pavement over the travel way and they were going to ‘fog’ seal the remaining paved area. The fog sealing would have covered all of the parking spaces that we paid to have painted there, and the DOT was to going to be willing to repaint,” Hawley said.

“When I got wind of it, they told me that when they do that they don’t restripe. They gave us the option of not doing it. I told them to wait until spring,” he said.

“We have 192 parking spaces all the way through,” he added.

The selectmen expressed some concern about the edges of the pavement and plowing this winter.

Bob Caron II brought it up.

“My concern is that if you walk toward Moose Landing [Marina] the final coat is pretty thick. It is going to be an issue with plowing. Are they going to roll those edges down? If they stop like that on the Causeway, we are gong to be toast this winter,” Caron said.

The town manager said he would check into it.