FORT KENT, Maine – After meeting with residents in Fort Kent, Madawaska and Caribou, a MaineDOT stakeholder group has determined that it would not currently be feasible to extend the I-95 highway from Houlton to the St. John Valley.
In a final report submitted to lawmakers this week, the stakeholder group determined that the interstate extension would require a permitting process that would be drawn out over several decades in addition to “insurmountable construction costs.”
The stakeholder group, which includes state and county officials and business owners, instead made several recommendations for road improvements throughout Aroostook County.
MaineDOT Commissioner Bruce Van Note wrote in the department’s Jan. 8 report to the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation, which also included the stakeholder group’s recommendations, that the department will not pursue the I-95 extension in the foreseeable future.
A breakdown of the costs of extending I-95 was included in the final report, with the total estimated at roughly $3.55 billion. This breakdown includes the Caribou Connector and Presque Isle bypass projects, which would have a combined construction cost of $128 million. The estimate for major bridges was $780 million, and interchanges, or areas in which the road splits and allows drivers to cross through a junction without stopping, were estimated to cost roughly $165 million.
The corridor itself was estimated to cost $1.66 billion.
Preliminary engineering, right of way acquisition, construction engineering, mitigation and other related services, however, were expected to add roughly 30% to the other aforementioned construction costs, bringing the total up to $3.55 billion.
This figure, according to the report, is 60 times higher than the state’s largest infrastructure grants.
The stakeholder group made several recommendations to improve mobility and safety in Aroostook County’s existing highway system. The first was to revisit unconstructed areas that were recommended in the 14-year Aroostook County Transportation Study (ACTS) that began in 1999 and concluded in 2013. This includes bypasses around Bridgewater, Monticello and Mars Hill.
The group recommended continuing investing in the county’s villages and downtowns. MaineDOT’s Village Partnership Initiative is utilizing millions of dollars of grant money to help communities revitalize their downtown areas and village centers, or areas where the speed limit is less than 30 miles per hour that also provide goods, services, housing, and have at least one religious or civic facility.
Towns currently involved with the Village Partnership program include Madawaska, Fort Kent, Van Buren, Caribou and Presque Isle.
Van Note said MaineDOT plans to approach communities including Houlton, Littleton, Monticello, and Bridgewater to see if they would be interested in participating in the Village Partnership Program, as well as municipalities along Route 11, which include Sherman, Patten, Ashland, Portage Lake, and Eagle Lake.
Stakeholders recommended improvements to Route 11, a 400.93-mile road that runs throughout nearly all of Maine. The group specifically looked at the 106-mile-long portion of the road that begins in Sherman and ends in Fort Kent. Their recommendations include increased safety measures such as signage and reflectors, specifically in areas where animals frequently cross. They also suggested improving shoulders and adding passing lanes.
There are currently several projects planned for Route 11 along with Route 1 and Route 161. These roads were identified as a high priority by both MaineDOT and the advisory group.
Route 1 projects include a 2.75-mile reconstruction in Van Buren. This project is $9.5 million with funding from a 2023 Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) request. There is also a 1.91-mile reconstruction of Route 1 in Van Buren, which is $6.1 million via CDS. There is a 5.74-mile Route 1 reconstruction project planned in Frenchville, funded via a $21.7 million federal Rural Surface Transportation (RURAL) discretionary grant. An $18.8 million reconstruction project, also funded with a RURAL grant, is planned for Frenchville and Fort Kent. It will span 4.66 miles.
On Route 11 from TR28 to Wallagrass, a 60-mile paving project is planned. This project is $30 million, and a CDS grant request was received in 2023.
And on Route 161, there is a 5.22-mile reconstruction project planned between Cross Lake and New Canada estimated to cost $15 million. A 2024 CDS request is currently pending. There is also a four-mile reconstruction project planned for Fort Kent, with a $14.8 million CDS request pending.
A specific completion date of each project is not included in the report, however Van Note wrote that when these projects are finished, the three corridors will be built to a modern-day standard.
The stakeholder group also suggested including infrastructure that incorporates recreational vehicles, such as ATVs and snowmobiles, as they are used much more in northern Maine than other parts of the state.
And stakeholders recommended increasing the Local Roads Assistance Program funding level, which has been flat for years, to support rising construction and maintenance costs.
