3 bridge options topic of Calais public hearing

CALAIS – A public hearing is planned as officials near a final decision on options to ease congestion at the Ferry Point border crossing.

Three alternatives for a new bridge to New Brunswick will be presented during the hearing, scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, at the Washington County Technical College gymnasium on U.S. Route 1.

The state Department of Transportation, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and the General Services Administration, has prepared a draft environmental assessment for the Calais-St. Stephen, New Brunswick, border crossing study that lays out three alternatives designed to solve the Ferry Point traffic congestion problem.

“Congestion at the Ferry Point border crossing has been an issue for quite some time. This document, in the works over the last year and a half, which includes many suggestions from our public advisory committee, examines the issues in great detail,” DOT project manager Kevin Rousseau said in a news release. “It puts forth two ‘build’ alternatives and one ‘no-build’ alternative.”

The alternatives will be explained at the public hearing. After the explanation, the study team in charge of examining each of the alternatives will listen to public comments and concerns to help reach a decision on which alternative will be included in the final version of the environmental assessment.

Under the National Environmental Policy Act, the DOT is required to undertake a comprehensive environmental assessment of projects of this magnitude in order to receive funding from the Federal Highway Administration.

The environmental assessment will be completed this spring and forwarded to the highway administration for a final decision. If approved, a decision would be made allowing for environmental permit applications, final design and right-of-way activities. The activities, after the approval of the environmental assessment, can take up to three years to complete before construction can begin, said Rousseau.

Copies of the draft environmental assessment and associated documents are available for public review at Calais City Hall, the Baileyville town office, the Calais Public Library, the Baileyville Public Library, the DOT’s Division 2 Ellsworth office, the Federal Highway Administration office in Augusta, and at the DOT’s temporary headquarters in Winthrop after Feb. 7. The draft also is available on the Internet at www.nbdot-mdot-bordercross.com.