BELFAST - The intersection of Routes 1 and 141 has problems. On this nearly everyone agrees.

A Maine Department of Transportation traffic study several years back highlighted the area of Routes 1 in the vicinity of Route 141 as one of only two spots between Brunswick and Prospect in which cars regularly exceeded the posted speed limit by 15 miles per hour. The intersection itself also ranked high in the category of driver/pedestrian incidents.

For years, resident motorists have complained about endless waits at the intersection during high-traffic periods. Walkers and bicyclists have voiced concerns about safety — their voices taking on added weight amid discussions of the proposed Belfast Harbor Walk and Passy Rail Trail, which would cross Route 141 and 1 intersection on its informal return to downtown.

Nearly every city councilor has weighed in at one time or another with personal anecdotes on the annoyances and hazards of the intersection.

When it comes to a solution, however, the consensus among the numerous parties slowly falls apart.

For years, a roundabout was the elusive ideal. Traffic, including turning vehicles, it was reasoned would be able to flow smoothly under the normalizing spell of the loop. The deal killer of roundabout had always been the cost, estimated at one time at around $1 million.

In the meantime, the city has landed several major grants from MDOT for traffic calming and safety improvements at the intersection. In total these have not come close to the $1 million mark, but it’s unclear whether they have made a profound difference either.

To that end, would the city be better off setting aside money for a roundabout?

On Tuesday Belfast Assistant Planner James Francomano effectively answered that question when he said a roundabout wasn’t an option, even if the city raised all the money to build it.

Francomano said the rotary idea “has not passed warrants” with MDOT. Asked what this meant, he said it was complicated boiled down to MDOT’s view that if traffic was slowed at that juncture, it would lead to unacceptable wait times along the greater Route 1 corridor.

Francomano noted that a rotary had been built in Blue Hill but only because that intersection was less critical to the larger transportation scheme.

“You put yourself in a position of having a road that’s too important to get the improvements you need,” he said.

Installing a traffic light, another option considered by the Council, wouldn't fly for the same reason, he said.

The idea that slowing traffic at that intersection would have a regional ripple effect seems at odds with with the extensive MDOT-sponsored work the city has done at the intersection aimed specifically at “traffic calming.”

Belfast has received two MDOT grants of roughly $100,000 each for safety improvements at the Route 1 and 141 crossing. The first was used to install new signs and warning lights and move the crosswalks on both roads further from the intersection’s many blind spots.

The Council on Tuesday considered a second round of changes, many of which would help drivers exiting Route 141 (Swan Lake Avenue) see what they were getting into.

The most popular was a proposal to remove a portion of the rock ledge on the northeast corner of the intersection, which blocks sight-lines between Route 141 and the southbound lanes of Route 1. Plans show the rock cut back from the road by up to 20 feet.

Mayor Walter Ash said removing a portion of the ledge would make sense for pedestrians, too.

“I’m surprised they allowed a sidewalk there,” he said, referring to the first rounds of improvements, which moved the crosswalk to an area next to the ledge. “A person who walks there is trapped. If a car comes, you have nowhere to go.”

A related proposal would move the painted line on southbound Route 141 that indicates where to stop — “stop bar” is the official term — to be closer to Route 1.

This would be significantly less expensive,  but it was also less popular among members of the Council.

“The reason people pull forward is so they can see,” said Councilor Mike Hurley. If the ledge was gone, he argued, it wouldn’t be necessary to cars to pull right up to the crossing traffic.

Francomano said members of the public have also overwhelmingly supported cutting back the ledge.

“We’ve had comments come in that say: If you do nothing else, get that ledge,” he said.

Another part of the proposal would add painted buffer zones on the roadway to make the mouth of Route 141 appear narrower. In traffic calming theory, tighter radius turns force cars to slow down.

Francomano said cars familiar with the intersection could still take a wider and faster turn, but others might abide by the hint and make a tighter, presumably more controlled, turn.

City Manager Joe Slocum heard requests from several councilors to include or remove certain items and said the difference could be covered with money from a city reserve fund.

Ethan Andrews can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com