Highway North, now

There are rumors and supporting facts that Highway North faces new opposition. Our Highway North political action committee is being called on Sept. 14 to a Caribou meeting to discuss just that. On the agenda is the potential upgrade of Route 1 from Presque Isle to Houlton. This is an old alternative without merit to our needs. Let us forget those impossible highway upgrade dreams and get into specifics.

It is time for our devoted PAC to stand up and tell the manipulators that the committee members, who represent the vast majority of our people, want the completion of Highway North. It is easy to understand the reality as we are part of Aroostook County and the United States. It is time to move forward.

It is time to finish this modern and essential way of transportation to accommodate all industries and facilities. It is time to admit the necessity of a highway to help every industry so desperately in need of fair competition. It is time to admit that our tourists, malls and all other businesses are at a great disadvantage economically with the rest of our nation without a superhighway.

Let us recognize our safety problems with heavy trucks passing through every town with huge loads of chemical and hazardous materials. Let us keep Routes 1 and 161, with improved maintenance, to better serve the people along those routes and divert heavy and dangerous traffic to a new four-lane highway. Such a highway would greatly improve our moose tragedy problem. Never shortchange and destroy historic U.S. 1 and our historic towns just to please a few. The majority of Aroostook people oppose this.

It is time to make our case known to all politicians and ask them for their continued support of this highway issue. We are blessed with respectful federal, state and local political representation. Please, legislators, do not let us down.

We are being treated as second-class citizens, discriminated and exploited to the highest level. Let us stand up against those who want to oppress us and control our destiny. We will oppose this unfairness. Why should we let this tragedy happen in Maine? Are we being bypassed by the Iraq war? The completion of Highway North would cost less than one smart bomber. Therefore funds shouldn’t be a financial issue.

Our Homeland Security Department needs to invest billions including northern Maine borders. Our region represents more than three-fourths of Aroostook and more than one-fourth of Maine territory, and the Madawaska region is vulnerable as a terrorist infiltration area. In my next commentary, I will explore how these huge funds could help our border stations, our connection with the Trans-Canada Highway and the completion of the Defense Highway System.

We demand that every central and northern Aroostook town be diligent toward this highway agenda. It is the most important issue of our time. Nobody else will do it for us; let us not allow others to decide our faith for us. The time for completion of Highway North is now.

John F. Dionne is a retired businessman from Grand Isle.