AUBURN — The Maine Department of Transportation is moving forward with plans to install a traffic signal at the intersection of Washington Street and Beech Hill and Danville Corner roads, city officials said Monday.

City staff told the City Council that the Maine Department of Transportation has the project contracted for design work and is in its work plan for 2026-27, with staff taking part in a meeting with the state Monday.

The announcement from officials comes after Auburn faced pressure from residents over a lack of short-term solutions to address safety concerns at the intersection, where a fatal crash occurred in May. The intersection holds the top spot on a state database that ranks the likelihood of crashes resulting in fatal or serious injuries.

The city had previously considered a demonstration project that would’ve blocked vehicles from taking the kind of turn that led to the fatal accident, but it stalled after officials could not reach a consensus and MDOT also proposed a traffic signal.

City Manager Phil Crowell said Monday that when MDOT asked for direction, he told them to move forward with the traffic signal, which ensured that the project could be included in the state’s work plan.

The demonstration project under consideration last fall would have placed concrete barriers and safety barrels at the intersection to prevent vehicles from crossing Washington Street, which is state Route 202.

On May 14, two passengers traveling in a van owned by John F. Murphy Homes were killed after the van attempting to cross Washington Street was struck by a pickup truck. Flashing red lights signal traffic coming from Beech Hill and Danville Corner roads, while drivers on Washington Street don’t have a stoplight, and are often traveling over the 50 mph speed limit.

Mayor Jeff Harmon has said that some officials, including himself, have concerns for several intersections along the entire Washington Street corridor, and he worried the demonstration project would have pushed additional traffic to other intersections that are also deemed high-crash locations.

He and Crowell also pointed out that the Danville Corner intersection does not typically see the same number of crashes as other nearby intersections, but that the risk of injury if a crash occurs is greater.

The MDOT database is a GIS-based tool that screens intersections for the likelihood of fatal and serious injury crashes — known as “K” and A” incidents, respectively — based on crash history at the location. The ranking is based on data through 2024, which means it doesn’t include this year’s fatal accident.

Rather than move forward with the demonstration project, which would have lasted two years, the council decided to solicit public feedback through visioning meetings as part of a larger effort to reimagine Washington Street.

The city is also in talks with MDOT regarding the speed limit along the corridor, which was designed to serve as an efficient connection between the Maine Turnpike and downtown Auburn. However, Crowell said, commuters coming from the turnpike often continue highway-type speeds heading into Auburn, which leads to the dangerous intersections.

Denis D’Auteuil, assistant city manager, said MDOT plans to have internal talks regarding the speed limits there.

Crowell said, the “DOT sees it as something they need to do” but “we’re going to ask them to do it sooner.”

He said while the two-year traffic signal project unfolds, Auburn plans to prioritize traffic enforcement and education through “enhanced signage and communications.”

When asked, Crowell said the city also plans to monitor the traffic signal’s impact on surrounding traffic flow.