Moving, east and west

Advocates for an east-west highway both east and west of Maine are preparing for the day that the sizable chunk of land in the middle — Vacationland — wakes up to the benefits of this route. Now is the time for Maine to begin the long learning process about the importance of making the connection in this state, and Gov. Angus King has the ideal forum to start.

To the west, New Hampshire and Vermont legislatures in their last sessions approved plans for an International Trade Corridor Study that would coordinate work among the three northern New England states and find options for working with Canada. Part of their interest may have been encouraged by the presence of federal money for international corridors under the Transportation Equity Act. That is funding Maine should be seeking, too.

To the east, the city of Saint John, New Brunswick, recently invited Gov. King to hear how the highway would affect Maritimes commerce in Maine. The State Planning Office is already investing time and resources into gathering facts about the potential effects of the highway; some free advice from people who cross Maine regularly could be worthwhile.

But these aren’t tourists who will be assembled in Saint John on Sept. 18. A representative from Brooksville Transport will be there. Brooksville makes 30,000 trips a year over Maine roads, and has a better idea than most Maine residents about the state’s highway deficiencies. And it’s a pretty sure bet that anything the Maritimes’ truckers say can be confirmed by Maine’s own trucking firms.

Arguments for the east-west highway have been raised for decades but until now always have been beaten by inertia. Maine has preferred to wring its hands about declining industry, wealth and populations in its rural areas rather than invest in them. Even as the evidence that the highway would be a boon to shrinking communities, as continued development along the I-95 corridor has become about as subtle as a traffic jam, state leaders fret about spending a large amount of money to build the highway, as opposed to dribbling out the dollars year after year on inadequate economic-development proposals.

Vermont and New Hampshire are creating a future with Canadian trade; New Brunswick is urging Maine to get moving, too. Gov. King has an opportunity to tell the Maritimes that this state understands the economic benefits of the east-west highway and is committed to developing the most appropriate road for the future. He can’t let inertia overtake this project yet again.