Bangor pedestrian path gets funding 3 years after it was approved

Bangor is getting closer to adding a pedestrian and bicycle pathway along 14th Street Extension, three years after the project was first developed.

The 0.38-mile path will run along 14th Street Extension, beginning at Ohio Street and curving toward where the road connects with Valley Avenue. There, a crosswalk with lights will be added and the path will connect with the existing Kenduskeag Stream Trail. From there, pedestrians can follow the trail into downtown Bangor.

MaineDOT will pay $370,223.20, or about 80 percent of the total project cost of $462,779 and the city will chip in the remaining 20 percent of the cost, or $92,555.80.

While MaineDOT approved the project three years ago , the state needed to devote funding to other projects that were needed more immediately, according to John Theriault, Bangor’s city engineer. Since then, Theriault has continued to apply for state funding each year.

This year, the city received MaineDOT approval for funding again, and hopes to keep it.

The funding approval comes at a time when Bangor has seen nine vehicle crashes involving pedestrians, one of which was fatal, so far this year , according to data from MaineDOT. Statewide, more than 90 crashes involving pedestrians have happened so far this year, five of which were fatal.

The idea for the pathway came from the Bicycle Coalition of Maine and Maine DOT’s Heads Up! Pedestrian Safety Initiative beginning in 2016, during which residents from various communities pitched ideas for infrastructure that help keep them safe when walking or biking.

A path for pedestrians and bicyclists would be a welcome addition to the road, which has no infrastructure for those people, where drivers tend to exceed the 25 mph speed limit, Theriault said.

“I think this is a nice project because it was initiated by the public and DOT recognized it as a good idea,” he said. “I think it’ll be heavily used because I see people walking there often. At a minimum, we need a sidewalk there, and it’ll be nice to connect it to the Kenduskeag Stream Trail.”

The space for the 10- or 12-foot-wide trail will come from eliminating the passing lane along 14th Street Extension, which should also slow traffic in that stretch, Theriault said.

While frustrating for the public, Theriault said it’s common for projects to take several years to secure funding after the idea is first developed.

“DOT wanted to see it happen and we wanted to see it happen, but certain projects have higher priority,” he said.

Once the Bangor City Council votes to allow city staff to accept the state funding, Theriault said the path will likely be designed and put out to bid next spring and could be built next summer.