The Bedford Planning Board will take up the final approval of proposed bank for the intersection of Nashua Road and Route 101.

Route 101/Nashua Road Realty has appeared before the board several times with its plan to build a bank and now seeks approval and a sight-distance waiver at the board’s Monday, July 14, meeting.

But, with the town and state in the midst of coming up with a plan to remedy traffic issues along Route 101, particularly the intersection with Nashua Road given this year’s opening of the high school, the board has been seriously considering the impact the bank would have on traffic, said Planning Director Rick Sawyer.

“The town did ask the applicant, through its public works and planning department, to make a fair share contribution to the Route 101 improvements,” Sawyer said.

Route 101/Nashua Road Realty, the owner of the corner lot at Route 101 and Nashua Road, plans to build a 2,400- square-foot, single-story bank with a drive-through and access from Nashua Road. The applicant did not propose access from Route 101, Sawyer said, as the Route 101 Master Plan calls for limited access from the highway. Plus, the lot in question sits too close to the intersection.

The Planning Board has asked the applicant to contribute a portion of the costs associated with the proposed improvements along Route 101, which include adding a left-turn lane onto Nashua Road and a traffic light at the intersection.

The original $3 million proposal for the improvements was turned down by Bedford voters in March, but based on that project’s cost estimate and fairshare contribution calculations, the applicant would have had to pay $54,800 for the improvements, Sawyer said.

“Right now, that’s all we have to go on. I think the applicant certainly will question the board at their next meeting on what the new value is,” said Sawyer, pointing out that several options for the Route 101 improvements are under consideration at costs less than the originally proposed $3 million price tag.

The traffic on Nashua Road, particularly during school hours in which inexperienced drivers are expected to be on the roads, is one of the Planning Board’s prime concerns.

Of particular concern is the sight distance down Nashua Road from the driveway of the proposed bank. The town requires a visibility of at least 400 feet down the road from any entryway. The proposed location of the driveway, as of the last time the board heard the application on May 19, allowed visibility down Nashua Road of 350 feet.

At that meeting, Project Manager Nick Golan of TF Moran, the engineering firm handling the application, asked for a waiver to forego the 400- foot sight distance requirement, something the board is still pondering.

Jim Stanford, director of Public Works for Bedford, said he would not agree with such a waiver given the safety issues associated with Nashua Road and high school students, according to meeting minutes. Stanford suggested that the applicant look into other options, including straightening Nashua Road to provide better visibility.

The Planning Board has also asked that Route 101/Nashua Road Realty look into obtaining an easement for the purpose of constructing a second access from the neighboring mortgage office on the abutting lot, something the abutter would also have to contribute money for.

The Planning Board’s meeting will be held Monday, July 14, at 7 p.m. at the Bedford Meeting Room, BCTV Studios, 10 Meetinghouse Road.