Calais-area leaders press for better roads

CALAIS – The state may have invested $71 million during the past decade to repair and renovate the Airline, but people on Route 1 want their pound of pavement.

Area business leaders said as much to the state’s new transportation commissioner Tuesday.

David Cole was in Calais to talk about Washington County road and bridge issues.

Appointed by Gov. John Baldacci, David Cole has been on the job only a short time. Most recently he headed Eastern Maine Development Corp. in Bangor.

Cole told members of the Calais Regional Chamber of Commerce at a breakfast that Baldacci “understands the needs of Washington County, and economic development is transportation and transportation is a key part of economic development.”

Among those needs are improvements to Route 1.

During the past 10 years, the state has focused on renovating Route 9, known locally as the Airline.

John Brooks of Robbinston questioned Cole about safety issues on that section of Route 1 that runs through his community. Brooks said that for years he has lobbied the state to build a bypass around Robbinston, but to no avail.

Brooks said a bypass would not displace homes and would not hurt the town. Cole said he would look into it.

Cole said the state’s survey in connection with its plans for a third Calais-area bridge is expected to be completed by this fall.

“Contracting for preliminary construction engineering will be let out this fall, and properties to be affected by acquisition will be identified,” Cole said.

An appraisal of affected property is expected to begin by the end of 2004. “Advertising for construction could be by the end of 2005. I put a qualifier on that,” he said.

To reach this target, Cole said, funding has to be in place on both sides of the border.

In New Brunswick, Premier Bernard Lord said Monday that if he is re-elected next month he will guarantee that the $49 million Canadian provincial share would be there for not only the bridge but also adjacent road improvements. That amount would have to be matched by the Canadian federal government.

Cole said the Maine Department of Transportation has included the bridge on its high priority list and that list has been submitted to the federal government, which will decide funding issues.

The $20 million bridge linking Calais and St. Stephen is to be built across the St. Croix River at the city’s industrial park.

Two bridges cross the St. Croix at Calais to connect with St. Stephen: the downtown Ferry Point Bridge and the Milltown Bridge, just north of downtown Calais. The new bridge and roads will carry traffic around both communities and relieve the long traffic lines that often glut the border during the summer months.