April 21, 2008
Reconnecting the County | The northern Maine economy will see big economic benefits from the north-south highway — but only if the road gets built
By Nate Berry
For more than 20 years, Leaders Encouraging Aroostook Development (LEAD) has worked to enhance the economy of Aroostook County by addressing the limitations of the County's transportation system. Whether it is advocating for increased weight limits on Interstate 95 or improving rail access and highways, LEAD's focus has been to increase economic opportunity for the residents of the Crown of Maine.
During the 1990s, LEAD was instrumental in identifying the need to upgrade Route 11, the lifeblood of the County's North Maine Woods and communities such as Fort Kent, Portage and Ashland. During this same period, LEAD became instrumental in identifying the need for a new north-south highway that would connect the St. John Valley to I-95, making it more efficient and cost effective for northern Maine to conduct business with southern Maine and other parts of the country.
Sustaining a healthy economy in Aroostook County is good business for the entire state. An integral part of a vibrant economy in northern Maine is an efficient transportation system. A north-south highway would go a long way to achieving economic stability by reducing the time and cost of travel required to do business. By saving 40 minutes on a round trip to the County, the north-south highway can provide $20 million in savings per year in our trucking costs. As the price of diesel rises, the potential savings increase. Time is money, and the more time saved enables business to be more productive and competitive and ultimately remain in the County and Maine.
LEAD and the County have been advocating for a limited-access highway designed to interstate standards connecting the Saint John Valley to I-95 for a good number of years. This approximately 110- mile corridor would enhance the economy of the County by making it more efficient and cost effective to conduct business within and outside the region. Traveling from one end of the County to the other is the equivalent of traveling from Portland to Bangor, while currently having to go through many of our small towns. Consider that a third of I-95 in Maine has less traffic on it each day than Route 1 in central Aroostook County. It's been estimated that the initial investment in the north-south highway, which would be comparable to the Route 9 investment in Washington County, would pay for itself in approximately three years.
Through the stellar efforts of LEAD and our Congressional leaders, money for the first two sections of the highway has been secured and in the bank for years. Given the state of affairs in the highway construction industry, this money could go a long way toward assisting the construction industry and business in northern Maine. Consider also for a moment that our efforts and Washington County's efforts on Route 9 started at about the same time. While the Route 9 improvements have been completed, we are still waiting for the first shovel to go into the ground for the I-95 project.
This north-south highway has become the focus of considerable attention as of late. In August 2006, the state and federal governments held hearings on the north-south highway initiative. Not a single organization in the County went on record in opposition to the project. Support was expressed by the Aroostook County Commissioners, the Aroostook Municipal Association, the Northern Maine Development Commission, the Loring Development Authority, the Aroostook Partnership for Progress and the cities of Caribou and Presque Isle, where the first sections of new road are to be built. While in other parts of the state we often see strong organized opposition to new road building projects, in Aroostook County this has not materialized.
After considering many alternatives for new alignments around Caribou and Presque Isle, MaineDOT and the Army Corps of Engineers have now presented a limited set of options for the two communities to consider. Presque Isle has selected its preferred option while Caribou is about to do the same. This will place the project back before the Corps, MaineDOT and the Federal Highway Administration for final determinations.
Since its introduction, LEAD has presented a strong rationale for the project, secured most of the financing and generated the support needed for the highway. At this point, we need all three levels of government to work together to move this project forward to the construction phase. Gov. John Baldacci has stated that he wants to see a shovel in the ground for this project before he leaves office. LEAD is working to ensure that his wish becomes a reality.
During the 1990s, LEAD was instrumental in identifying the need to upgrade Route 11, the lifeblood of the County's North Maine Woods and communities such as Fort Kent, Portage and Ashland. During this same period, LEAD became instrumental in identifying the need for a new north-south highway that would connect the St. John Valley to I-95, making it more efficient and cost effective for northern Maine to conduct business with southern Maine and other parts of the country.
Sustaining a healthy economy in Aroostook County is good business for the entire state. An integral part of a vibrant economy in northern Maine is an efficient transportation system. A north-south highway would go a long way to achieving economic stability by reducing the time and cost of travel required to do business. By saving 40 minutes on a round trip to the County, the north-south highway can provide $20 million in savings per year in our trucking costs. As the price of diesel rises, the potential savings increase. Time is money, and the more time saved enables business to be more productive and competitive and ultimately remain in the County and Maine.
LEAD and the County have been advocating for a limited-access highway designed to interstate standards connecting the Saint John Valley to I-95 for a good number of years. This approximately 110- mile corridor would enhance the economy of the County by making it more efficient and cost effective to conduct business within and outside the region. Traveling from one end of the County to the other is the equivalent of traveling from Portland to Bangor, while currently having to go through many of our small towns. Consider that a third of I-95 in Maine has less traffic on it each day than Route 1 in central Aroostook County. It's been estimated that the initial investment in the north-south highway, which would be comparable to the Route 9 investment in Washington County, would pay for itself in approximately three years.
Through the stellar efforts of LEAD and our Congressional leaders, money for the first two sections of the highway has been secured and in the bank for years. Given the state of affairs in the highway construction industry, this money could go a long way toward assisting the construction industry and business in northern Maine. Consider also for a moment that our efforts and Washington County's efforts on Route 9 started at about the same time. While the Route 9 improvements have been completed, we are still waiting for the first shovel to go into the ground for the I-95 project.
This north-south highway has become the focus of considerable attention as of late. In August 2006, the state and federal governments held hearings on the north-south highway initiative. Not a single organization in the County went on record in opposition to the project. Support was expressed by the Aroostook County Commissioners, the Aroostook Municipal Association, the Northern Maine Development Commission, the Loring Development Authority, the Aroostook Partnership for Progress and the cities of Caribou and Presque Isle, where the first sections of new road are to be built. While in other parts of the state we often see strong organized opposition to new road building projects, in Aroostook County this has not materialized.
After considering many alternatives for new alignments around Caribou and Presque Isle, MaineDOT and the Army Corps of Engineers have now presented a limited set of options for the two communities to consider. Presque Isle has selected its preferred option while Caribou is about to do the same. This will place the project back before the Corps, MaineDOT and the Federal Highway Administration for final determinations.
Since its introduction, LEAD has presented a strong rationale for the project, secured most of the financing and generated the support needed for the highway. At this point, we need all three levels of government to work together to move this project forward to the construction phase. Gov. John Baldacci has stated that he wants to see a shovel in the ground for this project before he leaves office. LEAD is working to ensure that his wish becomes a reality.
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