Holden mulls I-395, Route 9 connector strategy

HOLDEN – Councilor John Bryant has created a two-pronged draft strategy for the town to use in the ongoing debate concerning a proposed Interstate 395-Route 9 connector designed to improve traffic flow between the Canadian Maritimes and the Bangor area.

Bryant’s draft strategy recommends that the Maine Department of Transportation study its preferred route plus an additional route and, if that’s not an option, that the town fight for the best benefits for Holden.

The goal is to “make it the best for this town,” said Bryant during Monday’s Town Council meeting.

Councilors accepted Bryant’s draft as a report during the meeting.

The DOT selected 3EIK-2 as its preferred route two years ago but was told by Federal Highway Administration officials in October that a full environmental impact study is needed before the project can go forward.

“I don’t believe that is the best route” for Holden, said Bryant.

Bryant’s strategy suggests that if the Federal Highway Administration requests an additional alternative be studied, that the town again put forth the 2B-2 route, which was eliminated by the DOT years ago because it failed to meet criteria of the project.

“If the 2B-2 alternative does not compete favorably or receive support by the public or regulatory agencies, then we support 3EIK-2 as if it were our preferred route,” Bryant’s draft report states.

The 3EIK-2 route extends I-395 by almost two miles along the southern side of U.S. Route 1A in Holden before turning northward and winding through mostly unpopulated areas, circumventing East Eddington and connecting to Route 9 at the Clifton town line.

The 2B-2 route would extend I-395 at its current Wilson Street junction and would roughly follow the Holden-Brewer lines until entering Eddington and connect with a rebuilt Route 9.

“I agree with what John has put down here,” Councilor Robert Harvey said. “Push for what we want and then, from what they [FHA officials] pick, fight for what’s best for Holden.”

During the meeting, Town Manager Larry Varisco reminded the board that in September 2004, councilors endorsed supporting Bryant’s 2B alternative, which is nearly the same as 2B-2 but does not include rebuilding Route 9.

Bryant, admitting “it’s like alphabet soup,” said he’d be happy if either 2B or 2B-2 were studied by DOT, adding both “would need to be tweaked” to create the best alternative route for the community.

The DOT eliminated 2B from the list of 70-plus alternatives at the end of 2002.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which must also give its approval before any environmental permits are awarded, is still considering both 3EIK-2 and 2B-2.

The discussion about connection routes was initiated in 1996 when a group of Holden residents on Route 46, concerned about the doubling of traffic, asked that alternatives be discussed.

Since the process has taken so long, “people are building houses in the way of some of those routes,” Chairwoman Ellen Campbell said.