Impact on roads focus of hearing Plum Creek plan stirs local concerns

GREENVILLE – Residents warned state transportation officials on Monday that Plum Creek’s massive development plan for Moosehead Lake would render the region’s road network even more inadequate, resulting in more congestion and deadly accidents.

More than 60 people turned out for a public hearing aimed at helping guide the Maine Department of Transportation as the agency considers the potential impacts of Plum Creek’s proposal for nearly 1,000 house lots, two large resorts and other development near Moosehead.

According to figures supplied by a Plum Creek consultant, the region’s roads could expect to see nearly 18,000 additional vehicle trips per day once all of the planned development is complete.

While many people who spoke at Monday’s session did not state whether they are for or against Plum Creek’s proposal, nearly every speaker said the area’s aging road network is already in poor physical shape.

The additional traffic from Plum Creek’s development will only exacerbate the situation, speakers said.

Several problematic roads came up repeatedly throughout the hearing, which lasted more than three hours. They included the Route 15/6 corridor between Greenville and Guilford; Route 15 between Greenville and Rockwood; and the Lily Bay Road.

“Anyone driving those roads understands … they are atrocious at this point,” said Tom McCormick of Greenville.

Speakers said uneven surfaces, crumbling edges and non-existent shoulders make all three of those roads dangerous even in good conditions. Factor in moose, speeding logging trucks and inclement weather and you’re bound to see even more serious or fatal accidents on the Moosehead region’s roadways, they said.

“You need to protect the public,” said Eric Hince, who is building a home in Lily Bay Township. “From my perspective, and from a basic nuts-and-bolts perspective, I can’t see how that [Lily Bay] road is safe.”

Speakers also expressed concern about the taxpayers being stuck with the lion’s share of the bill to make transportation improvements as a result of the development.

Plum Creek has filed a 30-year development concept plan with the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission. LURC will conduct its own series of public hearings later this fall, independent of the DOT process.

However, the transportation department’s analysis and recommendations will likely play into LURC’s final decision on the proposal.

Greenville Town Manager John Simko said that while the town is officially neutral on Plum Creek’s plan, he supplied DOT officials with a lengthy list of “areas of concern.”

At the top of the list was increased traffic affecting both pedestrian and vehicle flow in downtown Greenville.

Even if Plum Creek’s plan is rejected, development will continue, Simko said. So no matter what, the region’s transportation problems will get worse unless major improvements are made, he said.

Diane Bartley, who has lived in Greenville for 42 years, was among several local business owners who said they were excited about the prospect of additional cars and visitors coming through downtown.

“I look forward to a bit more traffic a few more weeks of the year so that I can stay in business and continue to live here,” Bartley said.

In an interview, Plum Creek officials stressed that the DOT scoping session on Monday was only the first step in a lengthy process to identify potential problem spots before development occurs.

Luke Muzzy, senior land asset manager, said these public comments will help the DOT come up with a mitigation plan for the company.

“With planned growth, we get to discuss these issues,” Muzzy said.