EDDINGTON, Maine — As the date for a public hearing on the project draws near, local resistance to the proposed Interstate 395-Route 9 connector continues to build.
The most recent shows of opposition occurred over the last week in Eddington, where selectmen and planning board members formally withdrew their support for the connector, Town Manager Russell Smith said Friday.
Selectmen voted 3-2 in favor of adopting a resolve withdrawing their support for the project and stating their support for the “no build” option during a meeting Tuesday night, Smith noted.
On Thursday night, planning board members unanimously drafted and signed a statement saying they no longer support the connector.
Planning board members asked that the options be withdrawn and “taken back to the [project’s public advisory committee] for further consideration and involvement in a more public, open and transparent process.”
Eddington officials also have been presented a petition signed by about 180 residents who do not want the proposed two-lane highway in their town, Smith said, adding that the petition likely will be signed by more residents over the next few days.
The resolve, statement and petition will be presented to federal and state transportation officials in time for an open house and public hearing on the connector, Russell said.
Set for 1-4:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Eddington town office, the open house is the second held this month by representatives from the Federal Highway Administration, the Maine Department of Transportation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The public hearing will follow from 6 to 8 p.m. at Eddington Elementary School.
State and federal transportation officials have been studying a Brewer-Holden-Eddington connector since before 2000 as a way to ease heavy truck traffic between the Canadian Maritimes and the federal highway system.
Transportation officials named 2B-2 as their preferred route late last year. That option would extend I-395 at its Wilson Street junction and roughly would follow the Holden-Brewer line, mostly on the Brewer side, and then enter Eddington, where it would connect to 4.5 miles of rebuilt Route 9.
The DOT and the Federal Highway Administration also officially are considering two other alternatives — 5A2B-2 and 5B2B-2 — which are similar to 2B-2, and a “no build” option.
Because it is virtually the same as the 2B route MDOT eliminated from its list of 70-plus alternatives in late 2002, the decision to put 2B-2 at the top of the list stunned town officials and residents of the three communities when they learned about it in late December. The MDOT quickly issued an apology.
Transportation officials’ failure to involve Brewer in the decision-making process that led to the selection of 2B-2 prompted city councilors there to unanimously withdraw their support for the connector in March.
Eddington selectmen’s resolve takes the MDOT to task for choosing a preferred route they say will harm many residential properties and wetlands — and in a manner in which “the town of Eddington and other stakeholders have been excluded from the process.”
Russell Charette, the state Department of Transportation’s project manager for the connector, said earlier this month that while he understands affected residents’ frustrations, as MDOT sees it, 2B-2 would have the least effect on homes and the environment.
When Interstate 95 came through Bangor in the 50s a good number of the folks that were moved had no say whatsoever. If a portion of the Catholic Cemetary could be relocated one would think that all of these parties could find a way to get this project done. It will be built-just when and where are the issues.
Just get the Bar Harbor Ferry Running again
It would be VARY easy and liked by all parties involved to have a Ferry from Saint John, New Brunswick area, where the ferry terminal is set up to come into Bar Harbor. It would earn money, be welcomed by people who opose the upgrade of route 9 and the 395 connector.
I just can’t figure out why this has not been done in the past. EVERY person who comes for PEI, Nova Scotia, NFL and most New Brunswickers have to come to Saint John to go to the US on to Bangor then on to Boston.
It’s too seasonal. In addition the customs process in the wake of the 9/11 attacks make the whole trip take too long and is too expensive.
Are you just plain stupid or what? Did you know that the Calais/St Stepen boarder crossing is the busiest US / Canadian boarder crossing. Did you know that the majority of trafic going through this boarder crossing is from NB,NS,PEI,NFL? Did you know that about 85% of this trafic travels through S.J? Did you know that SJ and Bar Harbour both have ferry docks, and SJ have the ferry avaliable to do this.
Seasonal – I don`t think so and neither do others, who live in the Maritimes.
Additional customes process, do you cross the boarder on a regular basis. And people do enjoy sailing! And the millions of people who come to the Maratimes each year from points south of Bar Harbour, would bring in more then enough to support the ferry year round.
That wasn’t called for, lots of people don’t go to Canada, it’s bad enough to have to deal with their rudness when they come here, why go there unless you like the abuse.
abuse – just look at yourself for a picture of abuse
You seem like an intelligent person-please don’t degrade yourself by hurling insults at others on this forum who may have a different point of view than yours.
I didn’t know the St John Ferry goes to Quebec? As the East West Highway would.
Where in my post did I bring up about Quebec?
How about, instead of proposing “NEW” roads, let’s use that money to repair and upgrade the roads that we have now !!!! Or would that make too much sense?
When one of those big 18 wheelers from Canada turns onto route 1A from route 46 in the middle of Holden- I never think that some type of repair or modification is going to make that intersection work in a safe manner.
Exactly. I wonder how many people who live on Rt 46 are against the connector.
All
Yes, ewersmith, you’re right, it would make too much sense. I suppose the State would tell us that the roads will be fixed with money from a bond issue. Just suppose!
It makes too much sense, instead we need to focus our tax dollars on time wasted in a project to oddly enough give easier transportation access to and from Canada. Don’t be surprised when a plan for building a highway to Jamaica is brought up
Ok but take out all stop signs an stop lights an let that road be a strigh shot make all other roads coming into it with stop signs.
Build a new bridge and send it straight through Veazie to route 95. It’s kind of dumb to reroute traffic all over the place through Brewer etc. Just run it straight through and be done with it.
A bridge across the Penobscot and the highway extension to 95 will cost far more than extending 395 to route 9.
If you want to save money don’t build anything.
The idea is not to just save money, but to spend effectively. If something can be done to put people to work, rather than just collect welfare, that is an effect way to spend money. Streamlining traffic flow to prevent heavy traffic from hitting city streets, thus saving taxpayers money in the long run, is an effective way of spending.
this has been talked about for a long time by local residents and really would make the most sense, but then again who says MDOT has any common sense
So run it “all over the place to Veazie” instead of Brewer. While you are at it, build another bridge over the Penobscot.
Your idea of common sense seems to be to build an expensive bridge so that it goes through another town.
I wouldn’t get on your case if you hadn’t added the stupid comment “but then again who says MDOT has any common sense”
this is to tie traffic to the east, not northbound. This would definitely be a waste of taxpayer money. We need to expand to open up routes for businesses, not keep it narrow. Personally, I think that two major east-west routes are needed in this state. Hopefully this will start soon or this state will continue to stagnate.
Great route. need it done asap. Pay people double value and lets be on with it.
Just build it already. Who cares if people complain about it. If the government is trying to make everyone happy all the time then there doing something wrong. How many people really oppose this. I bet theres lots of people in the area that support the project to. The bangor news stations said there was lots of opposition to the tankers in searsport. for months they reported on how lots of people in searsport opposed the tankers. When searsport voted on them they voted for the tankers not against them.
I think you find it’s very few folks along with inept city councilors/selectmen that are the ones making noise about this expansion of I-395. I agree build it, along with any East-West Highway proposal that comes up. The Liberal Media always likes to make it look things are going to be bad. As you stated they did it with Searsport Tankers, they did it with LNG terminals to the point that proposal is dead. They also did it with Hollywood Slots now Hollywood Casino making all kinds of statements that it would increase crime etc. When the opposite has happened with Development and Business coming in instead. It’s time to prove the naysayers wrong again. BUILD BABY BUILD Maine will be better in the long run the naysaysers then can go find something new to nitpick about.
So if they take my house, give me afew thousand dollars for my property you’ll sell me yours (assuming it’s worth what mine is or more) for the amount I recieve for mine and you can than go defend more home owner displacement?
Whatever. Somehow it’s gotta be Baldacci’s and King’s along with “the past 40 years of liberal control” responsibility. Because if something looks or is bad, it’s NEVER the conservative Tea Party’s policies or the republican agenda’s fault.
I’m not sure how many jobs would be created. The project would be contracted out, which may provide some new seasonal positions, but not that many. Digging and scratching is done with machines, not shovels.
Again, this idea was first proposed in the mid 1980’s, by a democratic senate president. The republican governor didn’t like it.
Is this another Cianbro project?
It has not gone out for bids yet.
Get off Cianbro’s case, would you please? They have gotten where they are by being a well-run company. Because Peter Vigue has a vision and enough gumption to actually try and make it happen does not make him some sort of evil monster.
Disagree all you want, but don’t toss reason out the window.
Much like the problems at the national level are GW Bush’s responsibility? Because it couldn’t be the fault of the current administration. Whatever.
Darkcat if I remember correctly haven’t you been telling us that WE ARE BROKE. If we are BROKE how can we build highways?
I guess you probably don’t live near there and won’t be having yourself displaced and home taken for a penny on a thousand dollar value?
Let it pass. We have a hard time keeping what we have repaired and no matter how much others are kicking in we are out of money.
I am surprised that Cianbro hasn’t tried to confiscate anybody’s property yet in Holden, Eddington or Brewer, for its East West Highway
This is needed , ask anyone that lives on rt 46…….
Would a bridge from the foot of Holden Hogan Road straight across to Rt.9 in Brewer make any economic sense? It looks like the only thing that would have to be built would be the bridge itself and a few hundred feet of approach roads, and it would affect very few properties.
Edited for typo.
That would be too responsible. Why spend 5 million when if it were at the end of 395 where they will spend 50 million.
Yes it would be easier for truckers to have a quick inter change. But who says politics make sense?
i would assume that one of the 2 votes for the bypass might just be a contractor who stands to make money from the whole deal and he doesnt want the trucks traveling RT 46 by his house!
Say you got rid of every thing that people did not like Maine would have nothing
Build the conneector. It will create jobs, improve traffic flow and create a safer truck route.