Don’t bypass safety with I-395 extension

I read with interest your Feb. 22 editorial, “Two Lane Maine.” As a longtime resident of Eddington and a member of the citizen’s advisory committee for the I-395 connector, I wish to offer some thoughts on the proposed I-395 extension that is generating such comment and controversy.

It first became obvious to me over 10 years ago that the current roadway system was inadequate when my teen-age children were forced into a ditch by an 18-wheeler roaring along Route 46, as they typically do. This was a direct consequence of the increased traffic that resulted from the construction of the Veterans Remembrance Bridge, extending I-395 over the Penobscot River.

The creation of a highway study to evaluate the increasing motor vehicle congestion and accidents in our area was in response to citizens’ concerns regarding the increasingly disruptive and unsafe driving patterns that have evolved. If, in fact, safety is a major issue, then the only way to minimize these traumatic occurrences is to construct a limited access highway.

Enlarging the existing road network, with the major disruptions that it would entail, might physically accommodate the inevitable additional traffic, but it would do so only at the cost of additional tragedies.

When the traffic study group began its deliberations, the Department of Transportation with citizen input outlined over 30 potential routes to connect I-395 with Route 9. It was quite clear from the outset that only two or three would be serious options. I do not wish to be an apologist for DOT, but in all fairness, I do feel that the glacial pace at which this advisory committee moved resulted in ceding what little influence it had to department planners.

Some Holden citizens have argued (not unreasonably) that a 395 extension ignores the town’s comprehensive plan. They also argued that the currently proposed roadway would not solve all of the area’s traffic problems.

Why would we think it should? It should not be surprising that a solution to one problem may not satisfy another.

What I find surprising is that the Bangor Daily News, which has for years advocated the need for an east-west highway to facilitate the region’s economic growth, now is taking the position that if there can’t be a four-lane road, then there should be none at all. We do need a bypass. It will not solve all of the traffic problems, only some of them, and whatever is built will induce dissatisfaction, disruption, and heartache.

However, struggling along with our current system which is becoming increasingly inadequate, as the area contemplates future growth, not only inhibits sensible development, but also puts people’s safety in jeopardy.

Edward M. Harrow, M.D., lives in Eddington