OXFORD — Residents will get a chance to sound off on the Maine Department of Transportation’s plan for a traffic light at the intersection of Main and Oxford streets during an online forum, through email or phone from Feb. 28 to March 7.

When MDOT presented the plan to the Paris‘ Board of Selectmen in September 2024, town officials expressed concern that traffic would back up on Oxford Street, which intersects with Route 117 in that town. At that meeting, MDOT project manager Brian Keezer said adding a light at an intersection would not likely increase traffic.

The Oxford Board of Selectmen was not able to address the proposal with an MDOT representative until Jan. 16 when Regional Planner Matt Drost attended a meeting at the invitation of Town Manager Adam Garland.

There, too, officials communicated opposition to the plan, even though Drost explained that the intersection had been designated as a potential high-accident site based on the number of crashes there over the past few years.

Selectmen suggested posting signs that the road is not a through-way might be a better alternative.

Drost said that could be done but it would be up to Paris and Oxford to install them. Doing that, he added, would lead GPS apps such as Waze, Siri and Google to stop including Oxford Street on driving directions and possibly cut down on out-of-town drivers taking shortcuts around Route 26.

The public can comment on the plan during MDOT’s virtual hearing. The webpage can be viewed at bit.ly/mainedot-meetings.

People may also email their comments directly to MDOT project manager Mackenzie Hersbergen at mackenzie.a.kersbergen@maine.gov, or call 207-215-3820.

A Maine Department of Transportation notice announces it is seeking public comments about installing a traffic light at the intersection of Oxford and Main streets in Oxford from Feb. 28 to March 7.