Roadway Design

Fifty (50) miles of the 144-mile-long Downeast Trail (35 percent) is recommended to be on roadways. As described previously, constraints within the Calais Branch Railroad corridor dictate that the trail must be located elsewhere in certain segments because of land use, topographic and environmental constraints (see Project Description).

About half of the on-road portion of the Downeast Trail is the first segment in Penobscott and Hancock counties which connects Brewer to North Ellsworth. The remaining on-road portion consists of seven roadway segments in Washington County.

All of the roadways included in the recommended route are two-lane roads. Many can be generally classified as low-volume, low-speed roads. Some are in villages while others are country roads between villages.

Village roads:

Country roads:

These roads are 18 to 22 feet wide with low traffic volumes (less than 1,000 vehicles per day). Speed limits generally are posted at 30 to 35 miles per hour (mph). For the most part, advanced and basic adult cyclists are comfortable riding on these roads even though there are no paved shoulders.

Another group of roadways exemplified by Route 1A between Jonesboro and Whitneyville (Segment 12) also have low traffic volumes, but speeds are higher (posted at 40 to 45 mph).

Many of these roads have grass, gravel or dirt shoulders. Widening these country roads to include four-foot wide paved shoulders is an option to better accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians.

Section J - Two-lane Country Road with Paved Shoulders

Section J illustrates a two-lane road with a total paved width of 30 feet (9 meters), consisting of 11-foot travel lanes and 4-foot shoulders. In the case of Route 1A between Whitneyville and Jonesboro, a 4-foot widening on each side of the road would be required.

Section K - Two-lane Arterial Highway with
Paved Shoulders

A 2.5-mile segment of Route 1A between Wilson Corner and North Ellsworth is included the Downeast Trail. This two-lane arterial highway has a posted speed limit of 50 miles per hour (mph) or higher and traffic volumes of 15,000 vehicles per day in the summer. The Maine Department of Transportation has plans to widen this section of Route 1A to include 8-foot paved shoulders as provided now on most sections between Brewer and Dedham (see Section K below).

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