DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine — Having submitted a bill to fund a feasibility study of an east-west highway across Maine, Sen. Douglas Thomas, R-Ripley, discussed the proposal with the Board of Selectmen during a Jan. 23 meeting.
“It will connect to the new border station in Calais, and New Brunswick has already built a new superhighway to the border station,” Thomas said.
He said the highway would extend west across Maine, covering many areas where logging roads are in place now, to Coburn Gore and link up with Quebec. “It’s going to connect us to Canada. There are millions and millions of people in Montreal and we should be seeing some of that traffic.”
Thomas said his bill seeks approximately $300,000 for the feasibility study, using some federal planning money but no state funds.
“My understanding is it will be a four-lane highway and it’s going to be a private road,” he said, noting that a group of investors would fund construction, and tolls along the travel way would provide funding for the highway.
Thomas said Cianbro’s Peter Vigue has been researching the east-west highway concept, but the project would be open to bid. He said those involved in the project are hoping to get started by 2014, “and I’m guessing it will take a couple of years to build.”
“If we wait to do this with public money it’s not going to happen,” he added. “But if we can get this kind of commerce through this area, it’s going to help our economy.”
Thomas said the proposed highway “crosses the Interstate just north of Old Town, goes through north of Charleston, south of Sebec, south of Milo and it goes just north of Dover. But this isn’t set in concrete, this is a proposed map.”
“Someone’s got to have to plow that road, it’s going to need offices, and we are centrally located, and it’s going to need roughly 300 employees,” he added, referring to some of the possible economic benefits of the highway. “There would be $1.2 billion of construction money going into this area and people would be getting to work.”
Thomas said the proposal is now “in the concept stage and now we have to see if it’s even feasible.”
He said the study could take six to 12 months to complete.
The selectmen opted not to pass a resolution concerning the east-west highway proposal. “I think it’s too early,” Selectman Jim Annis said.
“I would just like to say the concept is intriguing but the devil is in the details,” Selectman Paul Matulis said. “I would say make an exit in this area. Otherwise what do we get out of this?”
Sen. Thomas is a go getter. Glad he’s behind this. He’s working hard for this project. Poor commit by Paul Matulis. Whats in it for us. Open your eyes, more then you think. Whats wrong with D-F board. Not givning support to this! Any where the East West goes it helps all of Maine. I believe many towns and areas would jump to get this Highway up and running. Its never to early to get something started as another commit by that board says it is. Sen. Thomas will give his all on this project and the poeple of Maine are lucky to have him working on this very important Bill for all of Maine . Go Doug Go.
I like the idea of an East-West highway, but Sen. Thomas is proposing the wrong western terminus. It should connect to New York State, somewhere in the vicinity of Albany. From that point, access is still easy to Montreal, while providing easy connections to several routes to US points (I-90, I-88, I-81, I-86).
Connecting to Montreal then forces the traffic to the already congested Route 401.
Just building an East-West highway across the route Sen. Thomas proposes might not achieve the results desired. Has I-95 made Island Falls, Oakfield, Smyrna, or Sherman prosperous? It hasn’t hurt, to be sure, but it takes more than access to an Interstate highway. Other examples are I-91 in northern Vermont, or many highways in the western US.
Again, I like the east-west idea, but it really doesn’t achieve much, in my view, routed as Sen. Thomas proposes.
Stay in Augusta you fool may be Gov. will get you next.
I don’t work for the Governor. So I don’t know what you are talking about. It appears that makes two of us.
As usual the D F selectmen can see no further then the end of their nose..Unless I am misunderstood Sen Thomas was simply looking for suport for the preposal. Perhaps Doug you should have not wasted your time with theese clowns. Whats in it for us???? What kind of question is that? One would say buisness for the area but as has been the case for years the board has been and still is the most unfriendly town to do buisness in. I hope when it comes time to put this highway in the investors remember how well the preposal was recieved by the so called town selectmen IT IS TIME TO CLEAN HOUSE IN DOVER
This is an awesome opportunity for Maine. It is of NO cost to the State, why would we not be interested in this proposal?
Hasn’t there already been a study of the East-West Highway?
Typical politicians, can’t get behind something that doesn’t put a burden on the tax payers…..nut jobs. If there is money out there in the private sector and logging roads giving a rough idea of where to go, this should have been started yesterday!