DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine — Opponents of the proposed east-west highway stretching across Maine continued to speak out at a Tuesday morning meeting of the Piscataquis County commissioners.
More than a dozen members of the Friends of Piscataquis Valley voiced opposition or provided alternatives to the four-lane, 220-mile highway from Coburn Gore to Calais proposed by Cianbro President and CEO Peter Vigue. The meeting came on the heels of an appearance by Vigue at Foxcroft Academy to promote the highway that saw fierce opposition.
Charles Fitzgerald of Atkinson said the railroad system, which already runs east to west across Maine, could be used instead of a highway.
“[Vigue said trains] can’t run fast enough,” said Fitzgerald. “From Montreal or Saint John to Searsport can be reached within a 24-hour period. How much freight is so time-sensitive, especially freight going overseas, that one day isn’t fast enough?”
Fitzgerald also cited a study that said extending the rail to reach Eastport, which Vigue said could be used a deep-water port, would cost about $48 million.
“It would only cost between 2 to 3 percent of the total cost of the projected cost of the $2 billion of the highway project,” said Fitzgerald.
Vigue has said he has lined up private businesses to fund the cost of the highway.
Gene Ripley of Dover-Foxcroft questioned Vigue’s assertion that jobs would come to the region because of the highway.
Ripley read from a 1999 State Planning Office study for the Maine Department of Transportation during the meeting. The economic impact analysis for an east-west highway compared case studies from Vermont and New Hampshire looking at the impact of Interstate 91 on those states.
“What they found was a very, very modest increase in jobs that were localized primarily to pre-existing population centers and to where the north-south and east-west highway crossed,” said Ripley. “And most of those jobs are in the service sector of fast food restaurants and gas stations located near those exits. They also noted that those jobs, in their words, didn’t necessarily represent any real economic benefit, because they came directly at the expense of rural communities, or rural downtowns and of the small towns all along those corridor routes that were bypassed by the new interstates.”
Bryant Brown of Monson agreed that a highway wouldn’t bring much of an economic benefit to the region.
“Any road from point A to point B, in itself, will not create jobs in the middle,” said Brown. “A four-lane road might produce around 100 road maintenance and toll jobs, but there will be no further land transactions. There will be no public access.”
Currently, six exits are planned for the highway with the possibility of two more in Washington County. One of the exits is planned to hook up with Route 15, which connects Dover-Foxcroft to Bangor.
“Where will the exit be for Route 15 in Dover?” Brian Turner of Monson asked. “Several miles out of town toward Bangor? Won’t that create more heavy truck traffic on Route 15, which we can’t keep up with the road maintenance on that road right now?”
Ripley also pointed to the quality of life as a reason why people live in Piscataquis County.
People moving to the area “come here for a reason. A recent report by the Brookings Institution singled out quality of life and the quality of place that we have here in Maine,” said Ripley.
Will Vandermast, who moved to Dover-Foxcroft with his wife and son three years ago, agreed.
“We moved here to raise our family,” he said. “My point here is that if this actually comes through, we’re leaving town. We moved here to be away from the highway. We moved here to be away from pollution and noise and all the other dangers that come with it. What they won’t be including in this economic feasibility study is the exodus of people out of the area and the money we take with us.”
Tom Lizotte, chairman of the commissioners, said the panel has no jurisdiction over the highway. He also said he would wait until the feasibility study is completed before he would make any recommendations.
“We’re keeping an open mind,” said Lizotte.
we don’t need a private highway for pay. Lets not give away Maine to corporate
IT WILL WORK AS WELL AS THE JAIL CONSOLIDATION IN PISCATAQUIS COUNTY WHICH TOOK APPROXIMATELY $500,000.00 A YEAR IN BOARD MONEY AWAY FROM THE COUNTY, WHICH WAS USED FOR PROPERTY TAXES AND GIVEN TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS. WE WILL NEVER CREATE JOBS UNTIL WE STOP EXPORTING THEM OUT OF THE COUNTRY. WE HAD PLENTY OF MANUFACTURING JOBS IN THIS STATE 25 YEARS AGO, AND WE DID JUST FINE WITHOUT THIS EAST-WEST HIGHWAY. WHAT A JOKE!!!!!
Has everybody forgotten the St. Lawrence River? Why drop off cargo in Maine destined for inner Canada or our midwest? Just leave it on the ship and have it go down the St. Lawrence River to Montreal or wherever. Wasn’t that the purpose of this river decades ago?
sounds good but how does that pump cash into Vigue’s pockets at public expense? it doesn’t and that is why we need to ruin the character of rural maine with a toll superhighway with minimal exits.
“The size of vessels that can traverse the seaway is limited by the size of locks. Locks on the St. Lawrence and on the Welland Canal are 766 ft (233.5 m) long, 80 ft (24.4 m) wide, and 30 ft (9.14 m) deep.” ~Wikipedia
At Vigue’s presentation in Dover Foxcroft, he said the new, extra large container ships that will soon dominate the shipping industry draw 70 feet of water, which is more than twice the capacity allowable by the relatively shallow locks of the Saint Lawrence Seaway.
Hi again Brandon, the way it works is that containers are loaded onto smaller ships to make the trip up the S.L. and into the lakes region . Other ships would then also operate coast-wise into more southern east coast ports, it’s what’s being done already. Norfolk, Va can also take ships of the post -panamax class now also. The reason N.S. is a threat is that it’s the first off and last on port for the suez route. You are quite correct though, vessels of that size can’t operate the S.L. , leaving the containers on ship is not an option. Worth noting also is that aside from Norfolk, Sydney is the only other port on the east coast capable of handling shipping of that tonnage and draft.
Hi DVR… it’s always good to hear your input. Thanks for your knowledgeable information.
Does anyone actually think that cargo ships from the Pacific are going to bypass our west coast ports to travel through the suez canal and all the way up the eastern seaboard to offload and then truck back into Canada and the rustbelt of our great Nation? Why would they bear all that extra cost when rails lead directly to Chicago, Montreal, Quebec and other parts of mid-west? That’s just too many miles out of the way.
From the report, “Freight Transportation and Economic Development: Planning for the Panama Canal Expansion (February 2012) by the National Association of Development Organizations Research Foundation, the Center for Transportation Advancement and Regional Development, with Support from the Federal Highway Administration…
“In 2014, the Panama Canal authority is expected to complete an expansion that would double the capacity of the Panama Canal. The expansion of the canal to accommodate larger cargo ships will enable vessels carrying large amounts of cargo to travel from Asia to the Caribbean and eastern North and South America exclusively by water. Improvements to the canal have the potential to change global freight flows by shifting a significant percentage of trade from Asian markets to the East and Gulf Coasts and affect transportation and economic networks.
An increase in freight flows to the East and Gulf Coasts presents an economic development opportunity for job creation and economic growth related to logistics, intermodal transportation and value-added businesses, all of which would also support businesses located in the region exporting their goods. Although not all regions may benefit, regions along the coasts and connected inland areas can analyze their infrastructure and economic opportunities to look for ways to capitalize on the new cargo transportation patterns.”
http://www.nado.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/panama.pdf
Its not that the rail freight is time sensitive, its that the rail lines are in such bad shape that the trains can rarely travel over 10mph.
But I’m betting these people could buy the railway and upgrade it for far less money, and still get their product to its destination cheaper! The railroads in Canada work!
I’m vehemently against Mr. Vigue’s dream. That said, I keep wondering, just how many of the people against his proposed “gold mine” voted for Mr. Lepage? Sometimes, you get what you wished for!
Nice stretch! To figure a way to bash Lepage based on this article takes a lot of imagination, if not much else!
It’s not imagination , it’s lack of…..
No stretch at all… who do you think would exercise eminent domain authority if push came to shove? Cianbro can’t…. but the State… but LePlague…. no stretch at all…
No stretch at all. Who do you think can exercise eminent domain authority if push came to shove with this project? Not Cianbro… but the State… no stretch at all…
That will NOT be a decision made by LePage… Still a stretch.
LePage proposed a law that protected the people from the taking of peoples property and it was turned down by the house and senate.
And the reason was a simple one. When, and if, Maine ever does that, and stay outta court, they are gonna be on the hook for the land’s FAIR MARKET VALUE, which Maine is gonna have to pay cash for. Now, since Paulie has already said that Maine is both broke, and will not issue any more Bond’s, just where is Maine gonna come up with the cash to make good on these land seizure reimbursement’s ? Cianbro sure isin’t gonna pay. So who’s left ? Maine’s Legislature may not be the brightest bunch of bulb’s on the Christmas Tree but even they saw ‘the light’ on this one.
Maine won’t pay. The highway’s investors will pay. C’mon Mike, please pay attention…the concept really isn’t that difficult to understand.
“We moved here to raise our family,” he said.
And we don’t care if the people who were already here are broke and jobless! We’re from away and we want to control things.
I’ve felt that way for years. Folk from away move here and want to change things to feel more at home. I don’t understamd why they came !
I think Betty was being cynical…
I would rather be broke, then broke and run over!
Once your family is raised and out of school they will leave like our kids did, my son moved to INDY where the jobs are, when your kids leave home and you only get to see your grandchildren once a year if your lucky, then you’ll kick yourself for not letting growth move here in Maine.
This proposed highway is for big Canadian trucks, not for the kind of growth that would keep your kids at home.
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Many people who oppose the East West Highway are not from away…they’re either from Maine or have been in Maine for a great number of years.
Charlie Fitzgerald hit the nail right on the head with his questioning why the rail system isisn’t even being considered when it’s already here and just needs up-grading, at a fraction of the cost, instead of the whole Highway being built. And lo and behold, we see a ‘miracle’, that being 6 interchanges suddenly appearing that were never planned for, ‘suddenly’ appearing right in the middle of this public hoop-la. The Highway, as was described and is wrtten in Vigue’s plan’s, calls for the Highway to be a 220 mile NON-STOP highway between Coburn and Calais. It is also to be built to accomadate CANADIAN TRUCK’S AND FREIGHT, both of which run at considerably more weight and size than U.S. truck’s and cargo’s do. Add to this the fact that Cianbro also has TOTAL AUTHORITY over the road, in design, construction and compliance, and with Maine having NO AUTHORITY OVER IT IN ANY WAY, tells me that this road is nothing more than Canada’s way of ‘shortcutting’ the Trans-Can thru Maine. These ‘suddenly appearing’ 6 interchanges are nothing less than Vigue’s attempt to buy off public opinion, and oppositon, to this outright land grab that Cianbro is gonna put Maine into the position of doing since Cianbro won’t have eminenet domain authority. No. Cianbro’s gonna put the legal gun to Maine’s head and say ‘Make my Day or else ….) and use Maine to do their dirty work.
And what opinion is Lizzote gonna have that makes any difference ? Even he admits that the PC Commissioner’s don’t have any authority to make any decisions about this. Either solve the problem or you’re just another part of it Tom. Think about it, HARD !
I fear the “study” won’t consider the rail option, or the “do nothing” option.
If upgrading the rail with a few million dollars of investment is all it takes to create a vibrant and profitable economic engine that will put significant numbers of Maine’s dirt poor people to work, then why haven’t the railroads made those investments? And why haven’t folks like Fitzgerald and Mike Kiernan been pounding the blogs and protesting in the streets all these many months and years, with their placard-carrying colleagues at their side, when we could have had a vibrant economy in Maine instead of the depressed, unemployment-ridden economy we have now?
Route 9 from Bangor to Calais is a pleasant route to travel. One frequently views a yellow blur of Irving-owned vehicles transporting oil and other Canadian goods into the US. However, seldom is heavy traffic encountered — even during the busy summer months. What Mr. Vigue proposes is based on a personal obsession to complete a legacy project that would appear to offer very little to Mainers, and, in the end, leave our State irreparably scarred in the same fashion that wind projects have devastated the landscape. Vigue has been an effective manager for Cianbro and one can understand his desire to create a backlog of work for the construction giant funded in part by St John moguls; however, it should not be at our expense! The stewardship of Maine’s resources and future must not be entrusted to an opportunist who obfuscates the facts for personal gain.
Might as well call it the Trans Maine Canadian Highway.
What’s your plan to provide jobs for Mainers?
Worth mentioning also is that the proposed highway would make rt 9 basicly obsolete, right after a 70mil$ public investment.
The same MOONBATS that will tell us that we have to protect every vernal pool on private property with a 250′ setback, are all upset about the non-existent possibility of eminent domain. Give me a break.
So, who polices this highway? Any speed limits? Who’s gonna pick up the pieces and ambulance out the canadians we all know drive like Maniacs?
Just the ones from Ontario…
Interesting question isin’t it since Maine’s been TOTALLY CUT OUT OF THIS in the Highway Act. Maine has no authority to do diddly squat 1 regarding any type of public safety on this road since Maine gave that authority, and responsibility, to Cianbro in the Act. And you can be sure that, once beyond the border area’s, that the CBP folk’s are not going to be issuing speeding ticket’s since they have far more important things to do (And under Maine law thats what the MSP and Sheriff’s Office’s are responsible for). No, this is another area that graphically demonstrates just how much of Maine Cianbro want’s for this useless-to-Maine highway, but is so highly sought after by the Canadian trucking and mining company’s. Remember, Irving’s got to take their ore outta Bald Mountain somehow and get it to the smelter’s in Ottawa. How else are they gonna do it, in bulk, beside a guaranteed FREE ROAD to the border ? How else is Irving gonna transport their pre-fab ship hull and component part’s to Halifax and Sydney for their Canadian Navy contract’s that they are now on the hook for ? No, this highway is nothing less than a U.S. subsidy of Canada’s economy thru Cianbro’s abuse and manipulation of the current mess here in Maine.
What Vigue’s trying to do is make that disappear, or be ignored, in the smoke and mirror’s of the current political situation. Pete, sorry but you either goofed or, and it’s far more likely, you thought Mainer’s weren’t smart enough to see through the veil of moosepoop that’s being thrown up to hide this highway’s actual purpose, and who’s gonna’ wind up paying the check. Mainer’s know better. And come November they’re gonna be more than ready to show you just how they feel about someone trying to play them for sucker’s, on their own dime no less, and get elected a new bunch of legislator’s that are not so stupid as to be sucked into a mess like this in the first place. Come the first full term after November one can see already that this Highway Act is gonna be one of the first piece’s of existing legislation that’s gonna be SEVERELY amended, if not outright repealed.
Mike, while you’re busy telling us all how smart you are, would you please learn the proper use of the apostrophe, which the rest of us figured out in the fourth grade?
It sounds to me like we have already picked a contractor for the job,lined up investors and are going thru the motions of public hearings to make it legal if it is too be privately funded and no state monies used why havent they started building.A person doesnt need permission from the state to build a driveway.I personally think the whole road thing is a sham for more kick backs to lawmakers who want this.as mike says we already have a rail system that works fine why not put money in that and improve something that already works.The rail system is cheaper per mile then trucks.
Tried to build a dock in front of your house lately?
dont live on the water live in the unspoiled wilderness of maine and would like to keep most of it the way it is”the way life shoud be”
I can’t argue with your desires.
However, I was responding to your eariler post that “A person doesn’t need permission from the state to build a driveway” suggesting CIANBRO doesn’t need permits for a “private roadway across Maine”. That insinuation is incorrect.
Driveways, as well as docks, DO require permits (along with far too many property rights issues).
They “haven’t started building” because they’ve yet to obtain the permits.
“the way life shoud be”
Thats gone!
Read the Sign!
Thank’s Pallet. It’s nice to to quoted, CORRECTLY no less, for once.
Mike, if Maine’s railroads are such a fine system and so economically superior, why are they bypassed by Maine’s businesses, such as Lincoln’s paper mill, in favor of trucking?…(as described by Senator Doug Thomas at the Dover Foxcroft presentation last week?)
The Press Herald reported yesterday that LePage (who, by the way, DOES have eminent domain authority notwithstanding whatever the 1%-er Peter Vigue “intends”) that the state has been in discussions about bringing Bombardier corp. to Maine… one of the largest manufacturers of aircraft AND… wait for it… TRAINS in the world…
Imagine that… Maine people doing REAL manufacturing jobs of TRAINS, some of which might operate right here in Maine…
Vigue’s vision of closing globalization transportation gaps with schemes that will benefit him and his shareholders is a dream project for the 1%, not so juicy for the rest of us… when REAL opportunities likely exist to create REAL jobs…
You can be sure that some group will rise up to oppose the idea.
As for “REAL” opportunities “likely” existing to create REAL jobs, I’d certainly be interested to hear how you would fix our economy. I’m very curious to hear how you would successfully woo Bombardier to Maine where people like you hate the idea of cooperating with Canadians, and hate the idea that Canadian companies might earn a profit in Maine (Bombardier is a Canadian firm). Also, where in Maine will you find the trained workforce for Bombardier to employ in the manufacture and servicing of their airplanes and trains?
I continue to think that the road portion of this project isn’t the primary driver here. Less talked about is the utility corridor component. I think the real money is in a pipline and high power transmission lines that would connect Quebec and New Brunswick. I wouldn’t be surprised if the road was never built but the utilities were.
So Peter got money to do a study, for a road for Peter????? No bias here, I’m sure.
Don’t always trust the experts because
if you ask a Turkey what it should be stuffed with,
the turkey will say grasshoppers, grubs and worms…
Cute metaphor!
However, had CIANBRO published the studies they’ve already had done, NO ONE would believe them as being self-serving.
Having the State conduct such as study, will allow the “honest thinkers” in Maine to believe it for what it is… a third-party’s opinion of the proposed project.
That was Good Business and Good Politics.
I’m not so sure the state is a “honest” thinking third party.
Up and over Mt. Katahdin, I say, so that we all can look and see all that has been destroyed in a few men’s efforts to populate every square inch of Maine for the sake of acquiring more wealth and power. Former Governor Percival Baxter would be pulling his hair out if he could witness this proposed development.
A boondoggle is a boondoggle is a boondoggle. Why not improve the existing rail route (yes, dig a trench alongside it for a pipeline too, Pete, if you must ) to transport goods between the Maritimes (possibly Eastport, too) and the rest of Canada. Better yet, why not sell northern Maine to the Canadians, since they own a good deal of it already. It could be called Gadsden Purchase North. Folks living there would scarcely notice the difference, except for better returns on their taxes: a sensible health insurance program, for instance.
Messrs. Ripley, Fitzgerald, Brown and Turner, and the others, who accurately assayed the total worth of this ludicrous project, are to be praised.
The total net benefit to the state is less than less. As the opponents to this worthless project – excepting Canadians and Mr. Vigue – astutely pointed out, this is a narcissistic dream of Mr Vigue, Canadian moguls, and Le Page.
Canadians own the railway lines that cut through Maine. Yet Mainers are not permitted to board trains at Brownville Junction. The same holds true for this highway which will gut Western Maine. At the most, Mainers might be able to nose in at possibly two access points along the entire 220 – mile span. Benefits to Maine? Zero.
Le Page has shown he has absolutely no respect whatsoever for the people of Maine. We are all loafers and couch potatoes. If he decides that people are resisting a chance to enhance the economics of a region, he will unilaterally seize land. It’s been done in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Gov. Rick Snyder and cohorts enacted a law permitting the state to seize property. Snyder actually annexed Benton Harbor, placing it under state control.
These public meetings, so well reported here in the BDN., give us an opportunity to hear how the public stands on what could be calamitous for rural Maine.
I’d be interested to hear your plan for putting Mainers back to work.
ANOTHER STUPID IDEA!
This is another example of Maine living in the past. Why are we even talking about highways when what we need, as a nation, is high speed rails linking our rural areas to boom our economy?
….
What is your plan to create prosperity in Maine?
….
Please answer the question.
….
I’ve done a little farming myself over the years, and while growing up I was surrounded by many good families who worked Maine farms. Unfortunately, Maine farming is slowly dying out, more and more local farms are going out of business, and it’s not necessarily because there aren’t any young Mainers who would farm if they could scratch out a living at it. A vast amount of Maine farmland is being sold off by farmers rather than being reclaimed by them because the farmers need the money simply to survive…such is the condition of our stagnant economy here. Please tell us how you would reverse that trend. You insist that there should be no pipeline or energy conduit running along any ridiculous highway through Maine, and I hear proponents say there are no plans in place to build this infrastructure. But what if someone made plans to do so, and the energy could be used to reduce the cost of doing business for farmers? Wouldn’t that help them to flourish?
Yes, we need manufacturing jobs back, but how do you propose to bring them back, when Canadian companies like Bombardier are being wooed by the state on one hand to set up shop in Maine and employ Mainers, while folks like yourself who wouldn’t lift a finger to encourage cooperation with Canadian businesses slam the door shut with the other hand? As Vigue says, the death rate exceeds the birth rate in critical regions of Maine. If that trend continues, it is a mathematical certainty that Maine as we know it is dead.
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With all due respect, your economic plan seems more like a wish-list than a plan. Simply wishing for an improvement in the economy has been the ineffective plan for too many Mainers over the years, unfortunately.
The following link will take you to an RFP (Request for Proposal) from the MDOT (Maine Dep’t. of Transportation) for the purported “study” of the feasibility of the East-West Highway. Below it is the first paragraph from the RFP, which sums up what is requested. The request is for a proposal for a company to do an “analysis” of traffic and revenue for the highway. It won’t deal with other impacts – environmental, loss of property, etc. Issues other than “traffic” and “revenue” will have to be addressed in some other fashion. Hopefully.
Someone directed me to the website (defendingwater.net/maine), and I found that it has a lot of information about the highway.
http://defendingwater.net/maine/2012/05/mdot-request-for-proposals-east-west-toll-highway-traffice-and-revenue-study/
“Request for Proposals
East-West Toll Highway Traffic and Revenue Study
The Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) is seeking proposals for independent investment-grade traffic and revenue analysis for a privately funded, privately operated and publically accessible, east-west toll highway.”
“Opponents continue to rail against east-west highway proposal in Piscataquis County”
Ya all 12 of them….
Rail was used exclusively before trucking became the norm. The bigger transports have to compete with autos to deliver goods. I-95 is a chance for people to tangle with large diesel truckers. The east west will be a good project for that area of Maine
There is only 12 people for it… you can see them post over and over about how much time they will save driving threw the area. So they do not care about any community that the highway will go threw or around. Step in northern Maine for a hour and listen to the people who live here. Everyone is against it. Even young children are smart enough to know it will do nothing to help the area. Keep pushing your cure all road and watch state lose thousands of residents. Just because people are not on the comments section, or at the meetings(way to many in D-F that are against it but did not want to attend the meetings to be lied to) does not mean they will sit back and let this happen.
Northern ME has already lost people. They will continue to do so unless new industry comes in to create jobs. My contention that it WILL create jobs is no more absurd than your assertion that the state will lose “thousands of people” or that folks are being “lied” to.
It is my opinion that the vast majority of people that continue to live near the area that the highway will be constructed are either from “old” money from when there was industry there, folks who made their $ from away and don’t want as much as a blade of grass cut or people living off of the rest of us. As I’ve said before, if everyone felt as you do we’d all be on horseback still. It’s fine if you don’t want or need a job, but I’m sure many people would love the opportunity.
The loudest opponents are people from ‘away.’ And some of us from ‘away’ know that more jobs come from more infrastructure, as long as it is planned well and thoughtfully. It works to listen to both sides and be part of an intelligent discussion.
Penny, infrastructure well planned out is a nice idea, provided it actually benefit’s the local community’s. But if this plan that Vigue claims is gonna bring jobs is looked at, well, it’s got about 3 light year’s to go before it’s gonna show anyone on this side of the border anything. Vigue’s plan calls for the highway to begin and end on the Canadian side of the border’s at Calais and Coburn, WITH NO INTERCHANGES BETWEEN THEM ! That means 220 miles of highway, with no interchanges anywhere, with the possible exception of a single interchange, with a connected highway extension, somewhere around Brownville to go north to Irving’s Bald Mountain mine (Big surprise, huh ?). But, to be fair, Cianbro has just recently stated that they have incorporated 6 interchange’s. Gee I wonder why ? Now, aside from this ‘sudden and miraculous’ revelation of Cianbro, that means that the road construction itself, that we all know from their past history, is going to be done by Cianbro’s using Canadian labor almost exclusively as possible to cut their cost’s to a minimum. That means no so-called ‘job’s’, as Cianbro calls them, for any Maine worker’s. So much for depending on Cianbro’s ‘planned infrastructure’ to benefit whatever community they want to try and sell this dog and pony show to next.
As far as intelligent goes, one need to only read the plan that Cianbro is putting out as a press kit, and then read the Highway Act next to it in comparision, to see that this whole thing was far from intelligent. Planned manipulation, economic fairy tale’s of land price’s being paid way beyond the norm’s and use of public scare, and in some case’s terror, tactic’s have been, and are still, being used to push this Highway onto the Maine voter’s. Read the plan, read the Act and look at the press. This whole Highway is nothing less than Cinabro’s attempt to buy Maine thru the use of fear and the promise of so-called jobs, promising ‘a brighter tomorrow’. The only tomorrow we have is the one we, as Mainer’s, make for ourselves and our families. That Cianbro, and by extension, our own State Gov’t, tries to sell us this tells me that we are in a huge, and VERY deep, pile of doo-doo. It’s time we all took up our collective shovel’s and both dug ourselves out, and bury those who put us here in the 1st place (OF EITHER PARTY !) and get on with developing Maine for the betterment of us all, not just those who think they are ‘slick’ enough to get away with the cute stuff.
Wow, the more you speak, the more clear it becomes that you are simply ignorant, and are incapable of joining in a civil and intelligent conversation about economic opportunity in Maine. Actually, there are likely to be eight interchanges, which you would know if you had bothered to attend Vigue’s presentation in Dover Foxcroft. Your tirade about those SOB Canadian workers is rather amusing, considering the fact that you think a Canadian company like Bombardier is all set to come here and save our economy. By the way, it’s a matter of record that Vigue has employed more Maine people than you’ll probably even pass on the street in the course of a year. As for your enlightened ideas about how to create economic activity in Maine and save our poorer citizens from poverty, here it is:
“we are in a huge, and VERY deep, pile of doo-doo. It’s time we all took up our collective shovel’s and both dug ourselves out, and bury those who put us here in the 1st place…”
What an enlightened plan you’ve got there, Mike! You’d better take that shovel of yours and start covering yourself, because it’s obvious that the “do nothing” strategy of people like yourself is one reason that some of the regions of our state are still in the economic stone age.
Republican Land Grab.
Yessah
Vigue is a JFK Democrat.
Will need passports to cross to the northern part of the state after it is built…LOL
No, but a passport or a passport card will be needed to get back into the U.S. Either that or be prepared for a big hassle at the U.S. port of entry.
Yes, this is just the first step toward selling northern Maine to Canada to balance our budget.
Please note that this was in response to LionsMaine::
And Maine already has rail easement’s all over the State. That alone is one very big reason that Bombardier is coming here. Rail can bring in materials to be used in maunfacturing, and bring in equipment for repair, and just as easily be used to take it out. This one is a no-brainer. But then again, being up here in The County, we are expected to be no-brainer’s. Guess what ? WRONG ANSWER !
Just ’cause we folk’s live up here doesn’t mean that we don’t know what’s going on and see how it’s gonna affect us. No, Vigue, and Paulie and Company, have shown nothing but complete disrespect and outright contempt to us folk’s who live north and east of Bangor by assuming that we’ed sell our self-respect to Cianbro, and by extension, the Maine State legislature’s current dog and pony show, by their trying to ‘bum hustle’ us with this 3rd rate magic show. Come November the magic is gonna be far more serious. And it’s effect’s are gonna’ be felt for a VERY long time. As the saying goes “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me”. Given that Cianbro’s now gotten their short’s ‘dropped’, the 3rd time is gonna be a lesson that’s going to be both well applied and never, ever forgotten by them.
Mike, once again, your “facts” are duds. Bombardier is not “coming here.” State officials are hoping to woo the company to come here but it’s far, far, far from a done deal. Given the unfortunate lack of a skilled high-tech workforce in Maine, not to mention the explosion of anti-Canadian mumbo jumbo we’ve heard lately from people like you, I think Bombardier (a Canadian company) is more likely to thumb their nose at Maine rather than establish a service center here.
By the way, I really can’t be sure that you are actually a citizen of Northern Maine because I have never met a Northern Mainer who is as arrogant and uncouth as you are, and the Northern Mainers I know would not want someone like you speaking for them. But for the record, Peter Vigue is a native of Northern Maine, was born there, and spent his early years there. And I have yet to come across one statement from Vigue that has been anything but complimentary about his fellow Northern Mainers. He might have reason to rethink his position if it turns out that you are actually a Northern Mainer, and not just some uneducated hooligan who is getting a kick out of talking big to one of Maine’s business leaders.
I’m in favor of railroads. Rail moves 1 ton of freight 500 miles on 1 gallon of diezel. This saves gas and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. In Dover, Senator Thomas claimed railroads are “subsidized”, but I suspect he’s referring to passenger rail like Amtrac. If frieght rail is subsidized, which I doubt, so also is truck transport on roads subsidized by gasoline tax and air travel subsidized by publicly owned airports and government TSA security. As for rapid delivery, rails roll 24/7 while truck drivers stop to sleep. Perhaps the reason Republicans are ignoring rail is because railroad workers are unionized (Repub Party is the union busting party) , and have a super retirement plan. After 30 years employment rail workers can retire at 60 with no early penalty, unlike Social Secrity. If, as Thomas claims, rails are too slow because they are in bad shape, it’s time we fix them up.
BUILD BUILD BUILD. get it done and let the orange people get out of the way. Its time for Maine to move forward for the one’s that cry cry cry get a job!! Go Pete Go.
This is another example of both locals, and out of staters, not in my back yard. Let us all stay in the dark ages, , and we wonder why Maine is not business friendly. While we are at it let’s go back to the horse and buggy.
His estate in Pittsfield looks as rediculous as he did in D/F. This self proclaimed Mainer is nothing more than a money hungry bully who does not have a bit of a care for the people or places around him. The people that live here in his so-called ‘hollow middle’ do not find it hollow at all. We live far from the crap that people like him feel so necessary to control for a reason. Are we gonna sit here and act like the brainless fools he makes us out to be?? Over my dead body. OH and p.s. I am from away – I moved here to raise my kids in a small town community like I grew up in – the small town that needed “economic growth” and now has Main Street running two lanes one way – Church street running two lanes the other – A disgusting swath of old farmlands have a pipeline running through – and they’re fracking for gas everywhere. I wholeheartedly dispute your remarks about people from away wanting to change everything. Apparantly some of us truelly appreciate this beauty and I for one would not sell my soul to this devil..but if this highway comes in you better believe I will run for the hills. Hills without utility corridors and wildlife crosswalks.
So Vigue is the “self-proclaimed Mainer?” He was born here, raised here, educated here, worked his entire career here, employed untold scores of Mainers here, brought up his kids here, contributed to the schools and hospitals here, and hopes that his grandchildren will be able to stay here. Where are you from? When you run away to the next set of hills and impose your will on those native inhabitants, it will not be a loss for the dirt poor Mainers that you leave behind.
for all the years I’ve lived in maine this state has got to the #1 state where their people bellyache about no jobs and high taxes yet when a project the would take years to complete supplying several hundreds much needed jobs and untold monies spent on local materials and won’t cost the tax payer 1 red cent they turn their nose down at it and bellyache on it’s possible effect on the only ones bellyaching.quityourbitchin and start being part of the solution and not part of the problem.
In the current economy information and internet businesses are exploding around the world. They require, however, educated, motivated and creative people…it also requires electronic infrastructure and not roads, trains, planes, boats….
If Maine could do anything aggressive around building the infrastructure required for the information age while retaining the natural beauty and tourism industry that is critical to the State it would both retain what we as a State are known for AND create the opportunity for work.
It is time we had a clear vision as a State about retaining our natural assets and continuing our way of life…AND…getting into the 21st century economically by realizing that manufacturing jobs have migrated to very low cost spots around the world and the ability to create, invent and design are viable businesses and real jobs and the communities that dedicate themselves to creating jobs for the future will win this game.
Roads, rails and riverways are yesterday’s process of interconnecting and prospering….electrons are tomorrows way. Let’s demand that our leaders look to the future instead of squabbling over yesterday’s ways. I would be encouraged if our government leaders would pull together a series of meetings around the state to better understand the education required, retraining required, internet capacity required, etc…to drive us forward instead of arguing about a road across the state that will serve to only further divide Maine in half.