By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

The intersection of Route 121 and Route 11, also known as Pike Corner, will change from a two-way stop to a four-way stop by mid-October, according to Casco Town Manager Courtney O’Donnell.

CASCO — The wheels are in motion to turn a dangerous intersection in Casco into a four-way stop.

The four-way stop is the solution that was put forward by the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) on more than one occasion.

“I just heard from DOT that they have ordered the message boards to let drivers know about the upcoming changes,” O’Donnell said, adding those signs should be up sometime this month.

“The actual changes will be made by mid-October. So the state is moving very quickly and soon that intersection will be altered,” she said. 

O’Donnell provided the most recent update to the Casco Board of Selectmen during the board’s regular meeting on Tuesday.

Since town officials met with MDOT representatives on Aug. 12, “the state is meeting its promises. They met with landowners” and trimmed back bushes that were in the line-of-sight, she said.

In addition to the creation of a four-way stop, the speed limit on Route 11 will be reduced from 40 to 35 miles per hour well ahead of the intersection. 

MDOT representative Robert Skehan was at the August meeting and stated that although MDOT sought the town’s support and approval, the intersection has been such a safety issue that the state could proceed without town approval.

A day after that meeting, on Aug. 13, the selectmen did vote to support the four-way stop, and O'Donnell wrote a letter informing Skehan of the vote and the town’s stance.

“As you are aware, this has been a topic of concern for the town and its residents for some time. While everyone may not agree that a four-way stop is the answer, we can certainly agree that we must do something. We look forward to the immediate action steps outlined at the meeting, and to the eventual plan concept for the long-term solution,” O’Donnell wrote.

There is a summary of the meeting that took place last month on the Town of Casco website.

These are the statistics obtained by radar equipment placed at the intersection between July 15 and July 30: