MaineDOT Safety Initiatives for 2024

[Coughlan, Peter]

This email is going to every town/city in Maine.  Please forward this to any others who may be interested in this info........ Police/Fire, Road Com's'rs/Foremen, PWDirectors, selectboard, councilors, etc......... thanks.

Dear municipal colleagues,

I just wanted to pass along some information about a new "2024 Safety Initiatives" online story map that MaineDOT has launched. The story map is available here<https://bit.ly/MaineDOT-safer-roads>, and if you have any questions, contact the Regional Planners listed at the bottom of this message.
The story map includes information regarding the Department's efforts to utilize context-specific decision making in how we set speed limits, manage roadway speeds, and implement our updated Complete Streets policy to ensure all transportations system users can get where they are going. It includes information on several important new MaineDOT policies and tools, including:

  *   Information regarding MaineDOT's new speed limit setting process and speed management guidance-including a set of traffic calming measures and tools.
  *   MaineDOT's updated Complete Streets Policy, which now includes additional guidance regarding context-specific design elements that benefit safety, walking, and bicycling.
  *   MaineDOT's new Roadway Context Classification System, which will help the Department with implementing the new speed limit process and Complete Streets Policy. The story map provides more information on this new system, including a map of context classifications statewide and an explanation of the different classifications.
The page also includes information on MaineDOT's updated Local Cost Share Policy, which is not a safety initiative by itself, it does have impacts on how these projects, and many others, are funded and therefore ensures buy-in from all parties involved.
MaineDOT has been an early adopter of many safety-related practices, and these new tools represent an important step forward in MaineDOT's mission to support economic opportunity and quality of life by responsibly providing our customers the safest and most reliable transportation system possible, given available resources.
You can find more information about these efforts at: https://bit.ly/MaineDOT-safer-roads
The Story Map also includes a draft document outlining how MaineDOT will manage requests for changes to context areas. Please see the Story Map for more details, but note that MaineDOT is requiring that requests for context changes come from municipalities, although municipal requests received via an MPO or RPO are acceptable.
As MaineDOT transitions to a new website in the coming months, a more comprehensive page will also be developed that will feature even more information and tools related to MaineDOT's safety efforts.
For more information, please reach out to your Regional Planner in the MaineDOT Bureau of Planning:
Regions 1 (southern) & 2 (midcoast):  Stephen Cole, stephen.cole at maine.gov<mailto:stephen.cole at maine.gov>,  207-624-3315
Region 3 (western): Matt Drost, matthew.drost at maine.gov<mailto:matthew.drost at maine.gov>, 207-441-1879
Regions 4 (eastern) & 5 (northern): Jarod Farn-Guillette, jarod.farn-guillette at maine.gov<mailto:jarod.farn-guillette at maine.gov>, 207-215-9558

Thank you,

Pete

Peter M. Coughlan, P.E.
Director, Maine Local Roads Center (LTAP)
Community Services Division
MaineDOT, Station 16, 24 Child St
Augusta ME 04333-0016
Ph: 207/624-3266   FAX: 207/624-3301
peter.coughlan at maine.gov<mailto:peter.coughlan at maine.gov>

Integrity - Competence - Service

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