HOULTON, Maine — A state traffic movement permit brings Wendy’s and Aroma Joe’s one step closer to opening new locations just off Interstate 95 across from McDonald’s in Houlton.
Last year, developers proposed adding a drive-up Aroma Joe’s coffee shop and a Wendy’s restaurant at the North Street location. And since that time, Maine Department of Transportation engineers have been evaluating the traffic patterns to develop a safe plan for the road.
“Due to the traffic volume that’s created by those entities, DOT requires a permit and that permit comes with some conditions that create some changes to the traffic pattern in that area,” said Houlton Town Manager Cameron Clark on Monday night during the Houlton regular town council meeting.
Any development generating over 100 trips in any peak hour must obtain a DOT traffic movement permit, said state traffic engineer Stephen Landry, via Zoom, during the council meeting.
This will be the first time these two businesses will have locations in Aroostook County. Wendy’s currently has 17 Maine locations, but none are located north of Penobscot County, according to the chain’s website. The current northernmost one is in Lincoln.
The same is true for Aroma Joe’s, which has no coffee shops north of the Bangor region.
For the Aroma Joe’s and Wendy’s development, Landry said according to the conditions of the permit, they must convert the existing four lanes to a three-lane between the traffic light at Marden’s and Route 2.
Shrinking the road down from four lanes to three and using the extra space as a center turn lane is the best option, he said, adding that the other very expensive option is to widen the road to five lanes.
“Given the amount of traffic on Route 1, there is really no need for a five-lane structure,” Landry said.
On Monday night, Landry explained the conditions of the permit to the Houlton Town Council. But the council does not have to approve the road changes because the state has jurisdiction over the conditions of the permit which include the number of lanes, changes to the traffic light and the addition of pedestrian lighting.
The developers of the two projects are responsible for the associated costs, said Clark.
“I spoke with the developer this morning and he has assured me that Aroma Joe’s and Wendy’s are both on board with these conditions and they are used to this type of permitting,” Clark said.
During Landry’s presentation, Councilor Eileen McLaughlin asked if there was a possibility of adding an access road behind the new development instead of the center turning lane.
“To lose a lane is a concern,” McLaughlin said. “It seems like there is a higher risk of collision than what is already there.”
Landry explained that it’s actually the opposite.
The whole stretch is a high crash location because there are no turn lanes there, he said.
“We have them all over the state and the crash numbers actually go down when we put in those center turn lanes,” he said. “It provides a place for people to turn and get out of the flow of traffic. And when you go down to three lanes you’re going to have an extra 12-feet or so leftover at the curbline.There will be a much broader shoulder in the future that you have there today.”
McLaughlin said she understood, but again inquired about adding an access road instead.
Town Council Chair Jane Torres said the town does not own that property and they have no desire to purchase that property.
“We don’t have the money to do that,” she said, adding that this is the best possible scenario to get Aroma Joe’s and Wendy’s to come to Houlton.
Landry added that DOT has been to the town several times in his career, trying to turn this section of road into three lanes because it has been a problem area for years.
“This is nothing new to the town. This has been looked at many times before because of the crash issues you have up there,” he said. “This wasn’t something that was just decided on overnight.”
The next step will be for the developers to obtain building permits through the town’s code enforcement office, said Clark on Tuesday.
According to Clark, once building permits are issued there will be more information about timelines. While he does not expect either development to be open in 2025, it’s likely site development could begin.
“Working with the developer has been an exceptional experience for the town and I look forward to supporting the project throughout the development phases,” he said. “ The investments made on this project will attract attention to the opportunity for more development in our community.”
