Skeptical in Trenton

As a resident of Trenton, I am skeptical about plans for our town proposed by the Maine Department of Transportation, the Federal Transit Administration, National Parks Service, the Hancock County Planning Commission, the town of Trenton and Friends of Acadia.

A regional bus or light rail facility may or may not solve summer traffic problems on the Island, but I fear possible consequences for Trenton: higher taxes for police, fire and emergency medical services, increased congestion on Route 3, more traffic lights and so on.

Total capital cost according to the DOT would range from $80 million to $290 million. I suggest that this high level group of planners postpone further consideration of the intermodal project until the current budget crises in Augusta and Washington, D.C. are resolved.

In the meantime, try these suggestions: widen Route 3 from Ellsworth to Trenton to provide more passing lanes, extend the free Island Explorer Service to Bangor International Airport, for day trippers advertise availability of free parking if they board the bus at Carroll’s or the Bar Harbor Airport, and for the convenience of Mount Desert Island-bound passengers on other airlines encourage U.S. Air/Colgan to extend its Boston-Bangor service to Bar Harbor during the summer.

Arthur A. Dole

Trenton