TOPSHAM — The last block of Winter Street where it intersects with Main Street will be changed to one-way traffic for six weeks in September, in hopes of improving northbound Main Street traffic.

The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved the trial Aug. 3. Residents’ assessments of the change will be sought before a decision is made on whether to make the change permanent, Town Manager Rich Roedner said in an interview the next day.

The trial stems from Lower Village Development Committee work with the TY Lin engineering firm to address traffic issues in that part of town. The change will prohibit left-hand turns from Main Street onto Winter Street; motorists instead would turn left about 250 feet north onto Elm Street Extension, which connects to Winter Street.

A left turn lane and signal already exist on Main Street as it intersects with Elm Street Extension.

“At present, cars stopping on Main Street to take a left turn onto Winter Street routinely cause backups in the northbound lane, because there is no turning lane at this location,” John Shattuck, Topsham’s economic and community development director, said in a July 26 memo. “This congestion is particularly frequent and disruptive during commuting hours.”

The closed lane would be converted to three or four parking spaces, Shattuck said Aug. 4.

“We’re going to figure out a way to track public comment and questions that people might have, or concerns they raised,” Roedner said, adding that an email address or phone number would likely be established to receive such input.

Information on those points of contact will be posted at topshammaine.com, and a public meeting will be held to go over the results, the manager said.

Alex Lear can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 113 or alear@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @learics.

Winter Street in Topsham will be converted to one-way traffic next month for a six-week trial.