Eagle nest stalls Wiscasset bypass
Plans for a Route 1 bypass in Wiscasset in the works for decades have been derailed because of a recently discovered eagle's nest in the proposed path.
The unused nest, likely made this year, was discovered this summer by Maine Department of Transportation officials, after environmental impact studies had been completed and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved the bypass route, according to the Portland Press Herald. Though bald eagles are no longer listed as endangered, their nests are protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, which requires a 660-foot buffer between a nest and new development. DOT officials are now considering whether to continue with bypass plans and restart the regulatory process, after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers asked them to propose a new route. The route had been considered to pose the least environmental impact than the other four considered.
Discussions of a bypass to alleviate congestion between Wiscasset and Edgecomb have been ongoing since 1958, and transportation officials said it would take decades to raise enough funds for the $100 million project, according to the paper.
Go to the article from the Portland Press Herald >>
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