CAMDEN, Maine — The planned reconstruction of Route 1 north of downtown Camden has generated concerns from some residents.
Geoff Scott, chairman of the Camden/Rockport Pathways Committee, said the design for the project need not trump the needs and desires of local residents.
Chris Osgood, chair of neighboring Lincolnville’s Route 1 Advisory Committee, said that the preliminary design of the project, which shows the number of trees to be cut and the relocation of stone walls, is an indication that the state transportation department was not paying attention to the community.
“The amount of clear zone is extreme,” Osgood said.
The project, tentatively scheduled to being in the fall of 2017, calls for rebuilding Route 1 from the entrance to Camden Hills State Park north about two miles to near the Lincolnville town line. The travel lane will be 11 feet wide with 4-foot shoulders on both sides.
Scott said that the project originally was estimated to cost $4.4 million, but the DOT now expected it to cost an additional $1 million at least.
Camden Select Board Chair John French said that parts of the existing road have no shoulders and that the project is needed for the safety of motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists. He also pointed out that Route 1 is a connector road which is important for the transportation of goods and people.
“Not every road can be a pathway,” French said.
Lookner said the project will have a significant impact on the community and he urged the town to make the residents’ sentiments known to the state agency.
“The more park-like we can make it and the less like a wide, typical road, the better it is,” Lookner said.
Scott agreed, saying that retaining the character of the town is important to the economy of both Camden and Lincolnville.
This is not the first time Camden residents have expressed concerns about widening Route 1. In 2004, a rally was held to voice concerns about the amount of trees that were to be cut by the planned widening of a section from about the Camden Public Library to the entrance to Camden Hills State Park. That project began in 2005.
The efforts by residents that time led the state to adjust the project to have a narrower travel lane, remove fewer trees, retain granite curbing and construct a sidewalk that extends from downtown to the park entrance.
Joanne Ball pointed out that she was one of the residents who challenged the state’s original plan to widen Route 1 closer to town more than a decade ago and that it was common for the state to say that the project is over budget and the design is complete in an effort to bypass community concerns.
“Push back, you have the power,” she said.
Ted Talbot, spokesman for the state transportation department, said that the project manager would be talking by telephone on Thursday with Camden’s town manager to schedule another public hearing on the project.