John F. Dionne should be more careful what he wishes for regarding a new north-south highway (“Disturbing highway news from Houlton,” BDN op-ed March 1). One only needs to look at the communities along the Interstate 95 corridor from Old Town to Houlton to realize that something negative has happened to them, coinciding with the extension of I-95 northward.

There should be no argument about the safety and convenience of an interstate highway, but the loss of the retail centers in the small villages along the corridor has left many towns with no place to shop for a pair of long johns. More troubling than the dearth of long johns is the loss of identity for these villages. Dionne would be doing his hometown of Grand Isle a disservice by advocating for a superhighway through the St. John Valley.

If the “Houlton leaders are self-centered, narrow-minded and greedy,” as Dionne pointed out, then I applaud their selfish efforts to keep their beautiful downtown area from becoming an empty shell.

Donald Adams

Patten