Hampden to push for I-95 weight increase

HAMPDEN – Town councilors Monday endorsed a Bangor City Council resolution to press state and federal authorities to increase the weight limit on Interstate 95 north of Augusta.

Concerned about the effects that an increase in heavy truck traffic likely would have on congestion, safety and road deterioration, municipalities are banding together in an effort to reroute traffic to the Interstate. South of Augusta, because it is a state turnpike, I-95 allows for trucks heavier than 80,000 pounds. With few exceptions, trucks weighing more than 80,000 pounds are prohibited on I-95 north of the capital.

The concerns have been raised recently in light of the announcement of a new landfill opening in Old Town. Some solid waste currently heading to the Pine Tree Landfill in Hampden will be rerouted to Old Town, using a number of local roads and streets along the way, including some in Brewer.

In December, Hampden councilors took no action on a resolve from Brewer that sought to reroute the trucks hauling solid waste onto the interstate. Town officials said that the Brewer measure was too narrowly focused on landfill hauling.

Hampden councilors saw the broader Bangor resolve as something they could endorse.

Councilor Robert Gilberti said that there are environmental and economic issues associated with moving the traffic to the interstate, as well as safety considerations and the impact heavy trucks would have on the roads themselves.

Gilberti suggested that on the interstate, the trucks would use less fuel, reducing costs and maybe emissions by avoiding hilly roads like Route 9. He also reminded the councilors of an accident a few years ago where a big truck failed to stop at an intersection and crashed into a house, killing a person, he said.

The Bangor resolve calls on the state to pursue a federal waiver and urges the state’s congressional delegation to push for it as well.