Scenic byway status eyed for part of Route 15

GREENVILLE – The Route 15 corridor between Greenville and Jackman has all the attributes sought by many tourists looking for an adventure.

It has historical places of interest, recreational opportunities, wildlife, magnificent scenic vistas, and cultural events. While the communities along the corridor do well on their own to promote these offerings, a move is under way to name the highway a scenic byway.

That designation is expected to bring even greater recognition, more tourists and federal funds for certain road improvements such as interpretative signs, marketing and safety improvements, according to John Noll, a planner with the Penobscot Valley Council of Governments.

“It’s community-based grass roots,” Noll said Thursday of the effort to get the designation.

To date, the Piscataquis County commissioners, Greenville municipal officials and Plum Creek, the area’s largest landowner, have embraced the effort as long as it does not impose burdensome regulations.

Noll said regulations are not an issue.

“It doesn’t affect landowners, and it does not stifle development,” he said. “It absolutely does not mean zoning.” It merely gets the communities to support the values they believe are important along the corridor, he said.

An application to the Department of Transportation seeking acceptance for the designation is expected to be submitted by late summer.

To become accepted, the corridor must have some of 10 different intrinsic qualities required for a scenic byway, one of which is an outstanding quality, according to Bob LaRoche, the DOT’s scenic byways coordinator. Among these qualities are cultural aspects, historical points of interest, scenic views and recreational offerings, he said.

Once a corridor has been accepted, a corridor management plan is developed with local comment and that plan is expected to be adopted by the communities as part of their comprehensive plans, LaRoche said Thursday. He, too, said the plan does not dictate to towns what they should or shouldn’t do as far as zoning and development; rather, it just reaffirms the vision they have for the corridor.

The state has 10 designated byways now, four of which are nationally designated. Scenic byways are identified on state maps and are included in the state’s marketing efforts, he said.

They include the Acadia Byway, the Old Canada Road Byway, Rangeley Lakes Byway and Schoodic Byway. The Route 15 corridor would be a loop off the Old Canada Road.

No studies have been done to determine what effect the designation has had on the economy in the communities involved, LaRoche said. A federal research proposal is expected to do just that, he said.

“I think in general it’s a win-win for the towns, I honestly don’t see how it could have a negative impact on the towns,” Noll said.