Route 9, I-395 board dismisses more options

HOLDEN – In what’s becoming a familiar pattern, members of the Interstate 395-Route 9 public advisory committee saw the number of alternatives for a proposed connector road decrease Wednesday night only to learn they will have at least one new option to review at their next meeting, set for Sept. 18.

Proponents say the connector would ease congestion and improve safety in Brewer, Eddington and Holden, largely by siphoning off much of the truck traffic. For those keeping score, the number of viable options dropped from 12 to eight, including the so-called “no-build” option that must be considered under federal law.

All five of the dismissed options, which appeared on the study list for the first time this month, were scrapped because their relatively high impact on wetlands made it unlikely they would qualify for the necessary federal permits, according to state transportation officials.

One of the dropped options headed northeast from the Brewer end of Interstate 395, following the Brewer-Holden town line north to Eddington, where it veered east then southeast to connect with Route 9 just beyond the Route 46 intersection. The other four were variations on a theme following utility corridors along the Brewer-Holden line.

Members also heard initial information about a new concept proposed by Holden town officials and their consultant, Michael Waugh, that called for upgrading congested Route 1A and turning it into a “controlled access” highway along which almost 5 miles of parallel service roads would be built to provide access to homes and businesses.

Though the 20-member group has been meeting since the fall of 2000, participants are still in the preliminary comparison phase of the study process, which is driven by the National Environmental Policy Act. The study’s slow progress was the source of some frustration on the part of some committee members and some in the audience.

Committee member Richard Bronson of Bangor, fire chief for the city of Brewer, observed that in the nearly two years that has elapsed since the panel began its work, Route 1A in Holden has been the site of a disproportionate number of “reportable” traffic accidents, according to the most recent three years worth of DOT crash statistics. Reportable accidents are those resulting in injury of any kind or least $1,000 in property damage. He urged the group to step up its pace out of concern that the accidents will continue.

Also Tuesday, the committee received a resolution from Holden officials and a 968-signature petition backing it up. The resolution opposes two of the routes retained for further study, the alternatives known as3EIK and 4B. In their resolution, selectmen noted that the two alternatives they opposed would violate the town’s state-approved comprehensive plan and have adverse effects on residential areas and environmentally sensitive areas, including deer wintering yards.