Contrary to information presented recently in the BDN, the Hampden Town Council is as concerned with 100,000-lb. truck traffic on local roads as any community in the state of Maine. The decision not to sign the letter being circulated by the city of Brewer to the State requesting that payloads of any trash hauler to the West Old Town Landfill be 80,000 lbs. or less and use the interstate was not made because we think that the proposed route is a good idea, or that we agree that 100,000 lb. loads ought to be anywhere but on the interstate system, which does not allow it. The fact is, it is legal for 100,000 lb. vehicles to operate on Route 1A in the State of Maine. If the Town Council were to sign a letter requiring one specific business to only use 80,000-lb. vehicles it would unfairly penalize that business in comparison to all other businesses who use those roads.

For example, HO Bouchard in Hampden has 90 percent of its trucking in 100,000-lb. vehicles, Cold Brook Energy on Route 1A in Hampden trucks all of its 100,000-lb. vehicles over Route 1A as a routine part of doing business, Irving Oil trucks are also running on Route 1A in Hampden routinely, and the closure of the Waldo-Hancock Bridge to vehicles over 80,000 lbs. has introduced a whole new set of users of this route. Would it be prudent for the Hampden Town Council to sign a letter to the State of Maine requesting that each of those businesses limit their payloads north of Augusta to 80,000 lbs. or less and to use the interstate?

The proposed route for waste that is part of the application for the West Old Town landfill is only that – proposed. There is no law that vehicles of legal weight limits cannot travel any legal road of their choosing. Should haulers to that facility instead choose to travel through Hermon and Hudson instead – they could do so. Traffic will also be dictated by road conditions and renovation projects – when Route 1A north is under construction over the next two years, there is a high likelihood that the delays that will be part of that project will affect how many truckers of any type choose to use that route. The same is true for the Milford bridge rebuild project that is scheduled to begin soon.

It is our intent to continue to work with MDOT and MDEP on this project. Certainly we shall advocate for a quicker rebuild of the entire 1A corridor north, considering the degraded state of disrepair it is in and the pressure that 100,000-lb. traffic puts on it now. There is also the possibility of an alternative route through Hampden that would take the trash route to West Old Town off Route 1A and direct it more through a commercial section of Hampden to Bangor by utilizing Route 202 to Macaw Road to Bangor. We shall also advocate that the state work aggressively with the Federal government to allow 100,000-lb. vehicles on the interstate system in Maine, instead of on local roads – and we are happy to work with area communities to find common solutions to problems that are identified. There is no division between the Town of Hampden and the city of Brewer or any other community on this issue.

Sue Lessard is town manager of Hampden.