Safety top priority of I-395 advisory panel

HOLDEN – Members of the public advisory committee charged with studying a proposed extension of Interstate 395 from Brewer to Route 9 in Eddington cited safety as their foremost concern during their third meeting at Holbrook School.

During a brainstorming session led by Susanna Lillar, specialist in communications management with the Portland consulting firm Barton & Gingold, committee members cited dozens of elements they thought ought to be considered as the group works its way toward deciding where – and if – the extension should be built.

After the elements were grouped into 10 general categories, participants used stickers to vote for the elements they saw as most important. Leading the list of chief concerns was the need to improve safety, followed by travel efficiency, preserving the integrity of existing neighborhoods, and economic development.

Other priority elements the group thought should be considered as part of the planning process were long-range comprehensive planning, a reasonable financial return for any investment, easy access for emergency vehicles, connectivity with existing roads, and the preservation of historical and archaeological resources.

The planning process, which began this fall, could take between 18 months and two years to complete, according to officials from the Maine Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration.

Over the next several months, the advisory panel will help determine where the proposed I-395-Route 9 interchange will be located, though the group must also give equal consideration to the option of doing nothing.

The project, proponents say, would resolve some of the truck traffic in downtown Brewer and on Routes 46 and 9 and would be a key step in providing an east-west connection linking I-95 with Route 9 and Route 2.

During an informational meeting in June, DOT project manager Michael Davies said that a 1998 traffic study indicated that heavy truck traffic on Route 46 doubled between 1990 and 1998, and that overall traffic was up 60 percent.

Almost 80 percent of the increase in pass-through truck traffic also used Route 146. On Route 9, general traffic was up 15 percent over the same eight-year period, according to the DOT’s data.

The state reportedly has set aside $3.6 million as its 20 percent local match for the project. The remaining 80 percent would come from federal sources.

A requirement of the National Environmental Policy Act, the 19-member public advisory committee appointed over the summer consists of representatives from Brewer, Holden, Eddington, Bangor, Aurora and Bucksport, as well as from area transportation concerns.

Its first two meetings dealt primarily with introductions and preliminaries. The panel, which met for the third time Wednesday night, is now getting into the nuts and bolts of the planning process.

While many options for a route have been proposed over the years, the decision making process was started anew this year because so much has changed in terms of traffic counts and legal requirements.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Davis observed that reaching accord on the project would be critical to its viability. He pointed out that the route wouldn’t be built unless it has the support of affected communities and area transportation agencies. “I am not here to force this down anyone’s throat,” he said.

The PAC’s next meeting is set for 7 p.m. Jan. 19 at Holbrook School.