HOLDEN – A new route proposed for the I-395-to-Route 9 connector has garnered support and interest from state and federal officials and many in the three communities to be affected by the limited-access highway.

Yet a group advising the Department of Transportation declined to unanimously endorse the newly proposed route Wednesday night.

Some members of the Public Advisory Committee that met at the Holbrook School wanted to eliminate everything except the newest proposed route and do a more detailed study of the new option. Some privately admitted the new route, dubbed 3EIK-2, developed by Bangor City Engineer and PAC member Jim Ring, probably would solve 21/2 years of controversy.

It’s competitor, the so-called corporate boundary route supported by Holden, also dubbed 2C-1/2B-1, “is on life support,” said one PAC member after the two-hour meeting.

But other PAC member towns wanted to keep one other alternative for comparison.

By the end of the meeting, three routes were eliminated. They are 2C-1, 2B-1 and 3A-3EIK-1. The last route has to be formally presented for elimination at a May 13 interagency meeting in Winthrop. The Jim Ring route and Route 2C-1/2B-1 were placed on the fast track for detailed study.

The level of interest in the new route devised by Ring was indicated by 200 people attending the meeting, including new MDOT Commissioner David Cole. Fifteen of the 20 PAC members attended. Earlier in the day, Cole praised Ring for his work on the project as well as the expertise of state professionals who refined it. He said while the MDOT has not “anointed” the new plan, it is hoped it will bring about a new level of community support.

Some at the meeting had complaints. Bob Dorr of Holden said he lives in a forested area of the Levensellor Road, and the new highway will come “within spitting distance of my kitchen.” He expressed concern about putting a highway through a forested area like the one surrounding his ranch home.

Julie Bullock of Holden said the proposed roadway comes within a half mile of Davis Pond, an area where she and her husband recently built a new home. She expressed concern for wildlife and property values. Judy Sullivan of Eddington said the new roadway proposal appears similar to one rejected a year ago but did not give details. She said the route comes near a bog where “the great blue heron we all like hangs out.”

The protesters were in the minority, however. A straw poll taken by a local resident revealed a majority at the meeting supported Route 3EIK-2.

Developed over the past few weeks, the new route features 10.6 miles of new roadway at an estimated construction cost of $40 million. The route proposal would have minimal impact on wetlands, deer yards and other environmental considerations. Its main attraction is that the road would have the least impact on residences of all of the proposals, with four homes marked for “residential displacement” compared to 10 homes for the corporate boundary route. It also has one-fourth the number of buildings within 500 feet of the proposed roadway compared to other route options.

DOT officials report they have received about 200 letters in support of the new route proposal. The alternative would extend I-395 for an extra 1.7 miles along the southern side of U.S. Route 1A, circumventing a congested, often dangerous-to-motorists portion of that roadway before turning northward to cross mostly undeveloped land in Holden until it reaches Route 9. The route would avoid major trailer parks, residential and commercial developments.

The Brewer City Council and the Eddington Board of Selectmen have issued letters of support for the so-called Jim Ring Route.