Staff Writer
City officials from Presque Isle and Caribou met with officials from the Northern Maine Development Commission on Tuesday, Dec. 2, to discuss traffic management options along Route 1, should the proposed bypass come to fruition. The session was held at NMDC, with Jay Kamm, senior planner for NMDC, presenting an overview of the Caribou to Presque Isle Corridor Management Plan. The plan covers U.S. Route 1 between the two communities. The purpose of the meeting, according to Kamm, was to update each board about the proposed plan, seek input on any changes and prepare for public meetings on the plan.
Representing Presque Isle at the discussion were: City Manager Tom Stevens; Planning and Development Director Ken Arndt; City Council Chair Walt Elish; City Council Vice Chair Ed Nickerson; and City Councilors Jennifer Trombley, Calvin Hall and G. Melvin Hovey. Unable to attend from Presque Isle were City Councilors Ron McPherson and Don Gardner. Representing Caribou were: City Manager Steve Buck; Caribou Mayor Miles Williams; and Councilors Mark Goughan, Chris Bell, Mary Keith, Carla Bell, David Martin and Ken Murchison. From NMDC, in addition to Kamm, was Denis Berube, director of planning and transportation services.
“What I’d like to do tonight is go through the work we’ve done to date – where we’ll be going in the near future. What’s most important, I’d like your feedback. What should our next steps be? One thing we’d like to impress upon is we’re really just throwing out some ideas,” Kamm told the group, noting this was a joint project of the two communities.
Kamm said he’d been working with Buck and Arndt discussing each city’s ordinances.
“We started by taking a long, hard look at both cities’ ordinances. There isn’t a whole lot of difference,” said Kamm. “When we really got into review, lot sizes were similar, setbacks were similar.”
“We didn’t think there was a whole lot that either community needed to do as far as getting from point A to point B,” continued Kamm.
The biggest concern, according to Kamm, and one that might be “controversial,” involved “overlay” pertaining to setback requirements. Proposed road upgrades discussed included right-of-ways 250 feet or more and would affect a number of property owners. He said while it was similar between communities, he had asked the respective planning boards to consider starting to re-zone property to “require greater setbacks and implement access techniques.”
“What we’re starting to look at is providing incentives to businesses that try to consolidate along the access corridor,” said Kamm, adding some access could also be prohibited along certain portions of the corridor.
Kamm described goals and explained ways they could be achieved.
“Goals include a two-lane limited access highway between Presque Isle and Caribou, sufficient right-of-way for a four-lane limited access highway and regulating development along the corridor so that these goals can be met. To achieve these goals, we need to regulate new development – where it goes and what type, look at reducing or minimizing curb cuts and the creation of service roads and/or a shift of Route 1,” explained Kamm.
The two-lane highway, according to Kamm, would be connected to the section of Route 1 now known as the Caribou bypass at the intersection near the Caribou Inn and Convention Center and would be built closer to the Aroostook River.
One option to reduce access/egress issues along Route 1, said Kamm, was to limit future development. Where there’s already a cluster of development, Kamm said a service road might be a possibility.
“There are areas where a shift of Route 1 or the construction of service roads are needed to meet project goals – areas where there could be relaxed development standards but still see a reduction or elimination of curb cuts,” he said.
Hovey questioned how this would tie in with the bypass around Presque Isle.
“For all intents and purposes, that section will be taken care of by the bypass. Whatever comes out of this with regard to the corridor, one’s going to have to fit with the other,” said Berube.
Stevens asked, “When the Army Corps of Engineers starts considering, are they going to have to wait on the Corridor Management Plan?”
Berube said some planning would be necessary.
Buck noted the Corridor Management Plan wouldn’t be something that would be of concern to the Corps.
“This is going to have to come second – with the Army Corps this far along, bypass this far along,” said Berube.
“If we get to Tier One and Tier Two, there’s going to have to be some shifting. Steve is correct. The Army Corps probably won’t have very much to say about this,” said Kamm.
“The most impacting factor for us tonight is where it will cut back in,” said Buck.
Berube said as money was secured, perhaps over the next five to 10 years, development would progress.
“If you have a footprint that allows you to evolve, it frees you up to do the planning. If you have that thing secured, you can plan your subdivisions. But whatever’s going to happen, I don’t think this is going to trigger any construction,” Berube said.
Kamm explained how the project would connect at the intersection, continue along the river over mostly farm land, then reconnect with Route 1 to the south, thus avoiding the more densely populated area of homes and businesses, helping to address the access/egress issue.
“The highway would start off as a simple two-lane with enough land to accomodate four lanes,” said Berube.
Berube noted that farmers would still be able to access their land from the Doyle Road, in exchange for “cutting off further south.”
“We could certainly work with landowners, where anything’s bi-sected, to create access. Our concern is we don’t want to have two Route 1s of today – where we have farm equipment, school buses. We don’t want the same traffic situation,” said Kamm.
“When you focus on bypasses around both cities without working on the connector in the middle, what have you accomplished?” asked Kamm.
Elish said he saw this as something state officials would support.
“We don’t look at this as only happening if a bypass goes in. I think this would be something Maine DOT would support because of the number of cars there (Route 1) every day,” said Elish.
Kamm said it was a similar situation to one Presque Isle has been addressing for some time now – how to reduce truck and farm equipment traffic along certain routes.
“The Corridor Management Plan would have a much greater appeal, less impact, done over time and done on a willing buyer/willing seller scenerio. One goal should be to minimize the human impact – something that’s under our control. DEP has focused on environmental control and the impact on wildlife; there’s been little focus on the human impact,” said Buck.
“It’s going to happen; what it’s going to look like in the end is the big thing,” said Kamm.
Officials agreed more discussion was necessary before any decisions are made, including how to fund such a project – estimated at over $1 million. Recent economic conditions in the United States may factor into the equation. But federal funding may pick up once the new administration takes over in Washington, with the inauguration of Barack Obama in January and talk of increased funding for infrastructure improvements, such as roadways and bridges.
Kamm’s next step will be to meet with both planning boards in January and again in February, as well as a public meeting in both communities about the proposed plan.
“We hope to have some type of land trust in place by the end of the year (2009),” said Kamm.
The trust would manage lands purchases as part of this plan.
Discussion continues Wednesday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. at Presque Isle Middle School when the Army Corps of Engineers holds a public meeting giving citizens an opportunity to voice their concerns on the proposed bypass. The public is welcome and encouraged to participate.
