DOT, Houlton to discuss Bangor Street

HOULTON – For more than two months, town officials have written letters, sought assistance from local and state representatives and pleaded publicly with the state Department of Transportation officials to change their mind about a decision made last year once again to defer the reconstruction of Bangor Street.

Now, Town Manager Douglas Hazlett will be taking Houlton’s case to the state capital.

Hazlett announced at a Town Council meeting on Monday evening that he had been invited to a Jan. 31 meeting in Augusta to speak with DOT Commissioner David Cole about the future of the notoriously rough route.

Hazlett told panelists that the news came just a few days after he had sent Cole a package with more than 60 letters of support from people who want the roadway repaired.

The state-owned route, which is infamous among local people for the depth of its potholes and the length of its cracks, provides access to nearby Hodgdon and is heavily traveled.

The volume of traffic and onset of spring weather combine each year to pock the road with additional cracks and potholes, despite ongoing repairs by public works crews.

In 2001, voters decided to raise $200,000 as the local share of the reconstruction. The project has been delayed every year since then.

The DOT announced last year that it would be deferring one-fifth of all of the projects proposed for the current two-year budget cycle, a total of $130 million worth of projects located in 140 communities across the state.

Cole said the hurricanes that battered the Gulf Coast last fall created a spike in demand for construction materials. He added that the cost of construction is expected to continue to rise because of higher oil prices that affect highway and bridge repairs and construction.

Provisions in the new federal transportation law also will affect the DOT’s cash flow over the next five years, he said.

The rationale has not been accepted by municipal officials.

Hazlett has maintained that the road has gone from being an embarrassment to a public safety issue.

Along with having been the site of numerous motor vehicle accidents in the past, Bangor Street is also prone to flooding in heavy rain.

Last month, councilors decided to send a letter to Cole requesting that he reinstate the funding to reconstruct or at least resurface the road next year. Requests for assistance with the matter were also sent to local and state leaders.

Hazlett said that he plans to share his feelings, along with those of the council and the community, when he meets with Cole.

“Last week alone, we put 12 tons of patch on the potholes on that road,” Hazlett emphasized on Monday evening, adding that all of the repair work had done little to improve the route.