To the Editor:
Thanks to an eagle with a sense of time and place, Maine may now seize the opportunity to re-evaluate what’s needed to improve the flow of traffic through Wiscasset during the summer months. However beneficial a by-pass may appear in theory, a four mile, 250 foot wide, $100 million by-pass simply is not worth the cost in money, environmental destruction and human misery.
The only by-pass routes remaining on the table are even longer than the now-discarded N8C. Such a longer route is even less likely to be used by North/Southbound motorists most of the year, at least until the By-Pass-doomed Davey Bridge became unusable.
As a “By-Pass for Nobody,” it would be Maine’s equivalent of Alaska’s formerly planned “Bridge to Nowhere.”
The projected cost of a by-pass is irresponsible when compared to the lesser cost of addressing directly the causes of the Wiscasset congestion which primarily occur on a few days of a few months a year within a 100 yard downtown section of Rt. 1. The cost would be particularly irresponsible in light of the recent reports that Maine has been substantially underfunding its maintenance of its roads and bridges.
Instead of a by-pass, a historically compatible and handicapped accessible bridge or tunnel can be built for pedestrians crossing Rt. 1, and traffic control officers can ensure that pedestrians use them. A slightly-raised Federal Street, over a cut-and-cover tunnel for Rt. 1, would enable vehicles and pedestrians to travel safely across town.
For only a few thousand dollars, which could be raised by public subscription, Red’s Eats could be relocated a few feet to the northeastern corner of its small lot, which would stop its customers from spilling over into Rt. 1 and risking their lives and blocking traffic. A few small steps for Red’s Eats would be a giant step for Mainekind.
Recent media reports have noted that the consideration of a by-pass has been ongoing for over 60 years, as if age were a factor favoring construction. Those reports fail to note that some transportation projects on engineers’ drawingboards are not good ideas and should be allowed to fade away. The SST (SuperSonic Transport) seemed like a good idea as it would move people from A to B much faster, but its costs outweighed its benefits. The SST was abandoned after hundreds of millions of dollars were invested in research and development.
In Massachusetts, the Southwest Expressway was abandoned after lengthy weighing of the costs and benefits. Last September, the Maine Dept. of Transportation (MDOT) abandoned its long-planned by-pass around Skowhegan for the same reasons.
Similarly, the Wiscasset Rt. 1 Task Force, and the DOT should abandon the idea of a by-pass in Wiscasset. The upcoming Task Force meeting on Dec. 15 would be a good time to begin urging the DOT to devote its valuable resources to improving the current Rt. 1 in Wiscasset.
Morrison Bonpasse, Co-Chair
R.O.A.D. (Route One Alternative Decisions)
Newcastle
