Staff Writer
HOULTON — Does the state of Maine need a highway running from east to west through the state?
That was the focus of a pair of meetings in Houlton and Caribou Monday sponsored by the Northern Maine Development Commission that invited members of town government and business leaders in the communities. The sessions were not open to the general public.
Darryl Brown, program manager for Cianbro Corporation, presented a plan to construct an east-to-west highway that would make transporting goods to and from world markets much easier.
“Without question, this is one of the most exciting projects that this state has seen or will see in a long, long time,” Brown said. “There is a lot of misunderstanding about the highway, namely where it will go and how it will impact people.”
An east-west highway has been talked about for decades, with the first discussions being held in 1937. The project was revived in the 1990s, but hit a snag when problems with towns the highway impacted in Maine, as well as issues with New Hampshire and Vermont prevented the plan from moving forward.
This time around, a different route is being proposed to eliminate any conflict with neighboring New England states. Starting in Calais, the proposed $2 billion toll highway would be 220 miles in length, 550 feet wide and cover 13,333 acres, ending in Coburn Gore — an unorganized territory located about 100 miles west of Greenville. The exact route of the proposed highway is still being calculated to minimize impact to any landowners, tribal lands and wildlife habitats, Brown said.
Another year of engineering and design work is needed before any groundwork could take place, followed by a three-year period for obtaining the necessary permits and an additional three-year construction schedule.
The toll fee for using the highway has not yet been finalized, but Brown said it would likely be similar to the fees on Interstate 95.
According to Brown, about 14,000 jobs could be created during construction of the privately financed, owned and maintained highway. At least six interchanges are planned along the route, but others could be added.
Maine is one of the oldest states in the nation based on median age. It is also ranked 36th in terms of poverty level.
“We have to ask ourselves, ‘Are we satisfied with this?’” Brown said. “We’re attempting to make Maine’s economy better for everyone. We need to start thinking globally and the east-west highway is critically important for this connectivity.”
Brown said one-third of all foreign-bound goods from the United States are bound for Canada. The new highway would facilitate transporting those goods through Maine to larger Canadian markets.
Shipping vessels are becoming larger and larger, in order to move more products, Brown said. Currently, there are only four ports on the East Coast and four on the West that are able to handle these larger vessels.
The project will need approval from numerous state and local entities, as well as the Army Corps of Engineers because of the impact to wetlands; Department of Environmental Protection; and the Land Use Planning Commission. Every town the highway goes through would also have to grant a permit.
How would the new highway intersect with the existing Interstate 95 system? Brown said either an over or underpass would need to be constructed to minimize impact to the existing highway system. Wildlife overpasses would also be built, creating a path, complete with vegetation, for animals to safely cross the highways.
The impact such a highway would have on Aroostook County remains unclear. Brown acknowledged there was a possibility that such a project could reduce the amount of truck traffic entering the United States at the border crossing in Houlton. The extent of that impact would be included as part of the study.
Based on a 2011 figures, truck traffic through the Houlton border crossing showed 88,273 vehicles entered the U.S., while 86,953 entered through Jackman; 64,852 via Calais; 31,859 through Madawaska and 18,958 via Van Buren.
