Presque Isle residents and potato-hauling truckers are expected to experience improved conditions after a $44 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant was approved to build a 6.3-mile bypass.
“Some potatoes are shipped as harvested, while many are transported to local processors to be made into potato chips and French fries, which are then shipped throughout the eastern U.S. Farmers, processors and distributors rely on an efficient regional road system as an integral part of their conveyor belt,” according to the Maine Department of Transportation.
Considered the commercial hub of Aroostook County, Maine, far-north communities see heavy truck traffic along the two-lane highways that run through town centers. Congestion and safety concerns from both freight haulers and residents prompted Presque Isle officials and stakeholders to fund a $16.8 million, phase 1 truck bypass that opened in 2019.
“There is a significant amount of truck traffic on Main Street considering it is Route 1,” Presque Isle deputy city manager Martin Puckett reportedly said. “Being a service center community, our population triples and our traffic counts are even higher. A large portion is traveling north or south to get to a destination, not stopping for services.”
The city of fewer than 9,000 residents has approximately 147 driveways, 25 intersections, nine stoplights, and a dozen crosswalks along the current trucking corridor. U.S. 1 remains the primary route linking parts of Canada and Northern Maine to I-95, with potato harvests and timber ranking among the staples hauled south. The recent federal infrastructure funding would build a more suitable truck route around the city.
“Main Street continually ranks at the top of crash data in the county and eight locations in the three-mile stretch exceed Maine Department of Transportation standards,” Puckett reportedly said. “Reducing traffic would help reduce the amount of crashes and improve pedestrian safety for our historic downtown.”
Phase 2 of the bypass would complete the two-lane route and create an interchange where it meets Route 1 and Conant Road to the east of the downtown area. Phase 2 is expected to include truck climbing lanes, box culverts, rumble strips, and upwards of four new overpasses. Truckers traveling along Route 1 to and from Caribou and northern Maine territories will have to decide between going around Presque Isle on the bypass or wading through in-town traffic and congestion.
The Maine DOT also reportedly weighed in regarding the safety of Amish community members. Tractor-trailers moving along outdated and narrow highways pose a safety risk to Amish people using horses and carriages. Reports indicate the Maine DOT has been pressing to create a truck-route alternative to address safety concerns from all parties involved for upwards of two decades.
The $44 million is expected to reduce freight hauling times and avert unnecessary collisions as upwards of 16,000 vehicles can choose the bypass or slower roads through Presque Isle on a daily basis.
The Maine DOT will also reportedly receive $33,000,000 to rehab 68 miles of Route 1 in Washington County, to the south of Aroostook County. The improvements would include shoulder widening, replacing drainage structures, new guardrails, rumble strips, and preparing the corridor for electric vehicle chargers.
Sources: thecounty.me, ttnews.com
Leave a Comment