Maine's East-West highway?

[spencer]

Is it finally going to happen?

great, I can't wait for the 6 new Walmarts.

well, at least maybe I won't hesitate to go to the next VT or NY Gathering...

spencer

 

[Fitz]

Map

Nice straight road huh?

Right through the heart of Maine. Let's hope they develop existing highways first.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep10/nhs/hipricorridors/hipri-big.pdf

 

[jjmcgo]

I'll miss the old Calais bridge and watching the jumping fish hitting flies at dusk. Cool place.
Is this going to be Interstate grade all the way or a hodgepodge of upgraded highway projects? For instance, will it continue to veer north to Farmington or will we be able to drive straight through at 70 mph?
Will we still drive by every house in Rumford or will there be a high-speed bypass?

 

[spencer]

Don't know.

but I think they are crazy to spend the money to replace the Airline (rt. 9) with something huge. You can cruise doing 75 on it now with no traffic problems. What will they gain?

in fact, I'm headed out there Thursday to visit a field site and I look forward to the Airline b/c of it's lack of traffic.

Rt. 2 on the other hand...

spencer

 

[Waumbek]

The 9 (Airline)-395-95 section is already basically complete, and, when and if this E-W road happens, at least for the next 20 years they won't be messing up what is currently the best way to I-95 in ME from the Whites: 2 to Bethel>26 >219>Augusta (I-95).

 

[Jay H]

When I biked through Maine (kittery to Orient) part of the way was riding up Rt 2 I beleive from Bangor to the town of Lincoln (there's a walmart in lincoln I refueled my water in) before heading east towards Danforth and then back onto Rt 1 to Orient where my friend had his cabin. I remember riding through Orono, Old Town, and it being a fairly nice ride and then once you turn right to go over the Penobscot in Old Town, it all opens up and it becomes less town-like and more country and it being a nice pleasent ride on fairly freshly paved highway shoulders.

I believe I even saw signs for some kind of cross-Maine bike trail although I simply used a Maine DOT bikemap to navigate the roads (excellent and free resource for those interested in bike touring) to get from Kittery.

For drivers, having an interstate might be handy for some, doesn't mean you have to use it. Obviously, as a bike tourer, we stay off interstates (illegal) and highways in general anyway.

There is a great view of Katahdin on Highway 1, north of Danforth but south of Orient/Houlton. I remember stopping on the road and taking a picture of it. However, without a big enough zoom lens, the picture didn't come out that good...

Jay

 

[spencer]

Hi Jay,

that view you are talking about is called the Million Dollar View and is indeed very cool! It shows you just how flat northern Maine is except for the Baxter interruptions. I have a field site a couple of miles from there, too, so I get to check the view out periodically...

spencer

 

[John S]

..... I think they are crazy to spend the money to replace the Airline (rt. 9) with something huge. You can cruise doing 75 on it now with no traffic problems. What will they gain?

According to this, 39 minutes from Calais to Gilead.

Lots of interesting stuff in the link.

 

[Gris]

Define "economic distress." Better yet, define "progress." In this context, I'll bet they both mean the area's not currently seen as accessible enough to make it profitable to put in large scale housing schemes...

 

[Jay H]

Thanks Spencer, did not know that view had a name. It was certainly million dollars in my book!

Actually, I remember biking up Route 1 (which is full of rolling hills..upppp...down...up....down.) and just looking to my left and thinking..hmmmm... is that Katahdin? Is there any other prominent mountain in the distance between here and Baxter and realizing, it has to be Katahdin, I don't know of any other mtn ranges and knowing that it was far away, it had to be a big mountain. Then I crossed Rt 1 and saw the little sign there. I remember there is somebody across from the viewpoint who has a little wooded house with the same view.

On the way back towards Bangor, my friend and I left early since we had a 130mile day in front of us and I also remember sharing the road from danforth to Lincoln with the logging trucks. You can get one helluva pull from those behomoths as long as you are aware of them coming up on you.


Jay

 

[Mad Townie]

It shows you just how flat northern Maine is except for the Baxter interruptions.

Spencer, NORTHERN Maine?????? That's CENTRAL Maine.

If you want to see northern Maine, join me on a drive to Madawaska sometime. As you probably know (but most here probably don't) you get off 95 in Houlton and still have to drive 125 miles due north before you run out of Maine.

Jay, nice to hear someone mention Orient (pop. about 90). I lived there for a few months many years ago. East Grand Lake is certainly a grand lake!

 

[spencer]

Just because you are a MAD Townie doesn't mean that Danforth isn't northern Maine

up here, I live in central Maine.

down there, I live in northern Maine.

Kind of like all those who live in Boston

spencer

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Spencer -

Are there any proposed maps to the route thru NH & VT? From the inferences in the article it may carve a swath in what I believe is referred to as the Northern Forest.

 

[Jay H]

Yup, I have a good friend I work with here.. (Another bike commuter) who was born in Presque Isle and his family had a camp on East Grand Lake (off Peter's Cove road) for the longest time so when I said I was going to bike to Maine, him and I planned this. We actually biked into Fosterville N.B. just to say we biked to Canada But it was just over the border, biked a short bit up and then back. We stayed there for about a week at his camp, taking his circa 1940s old town canoe (full wood, with oar locks) out into the lake. We originally thought half the lake is in canada but found out later on that it is not.

We also stayed in Augusta on the way there at my friend's Aunt's place.

jay

 

[Mr. X]

Is it finally going to happen?

great, I can't wait for the 6 new Walmarts.

well, at least maybe I won't hesitate to go to the next VT or NY Gathering...

spencer

I think six is a little low, I'd say probably off of every other exit is more likely!

 

[Rugger]

Spencer -

Are there any proposed maps to the route thru NH & VT? From the inferences in the article it may carve a swath in what I believe is referred to as the Northern Forest.

My guess would be that it ties into the top portion of 93 around Littleton, crosses the River on 93 and from ST J. follows Rt 2 to 89 in Montpelier. From there no clue.

 

[spencer]

Spencer -

Are there any proposed maps to the route thru NH & VT? From the inferences in the article it may carve a swath in what I believe is referred to as the Northern Forest.

If it does follow Rt. 2 in NH (I think that's the plan, but I haven't read about it a lot) then it will go through the Northern Forest in NH and VT and at the southern edge here in Maine.Here is a pretty good map of what's referred to as the Northern Forest. It's a loosely defined region bound by the edges of contiguous forest.

spencer

 

[arghman]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





I'll comment further after I have time to read both this thread and the posted link more fully.

 

[king tut]

I think that when they first thought of the highway, they wanted a spur of the road from the augusta/farmington area up thru coburn gore to the montreal area. Those roads historically are very narrow and falling apart. They have redone most of the road on rte 27 from farmington to coburn gore in the last five years though. Before then, from stratton to coburn gore was horrid, and every other vehicle was an 18 wheeler carrying way too much of a load on those sharp turns. There is quite a large trucking/timbering business in the western maine woods. I would rather see those big trucks on a highway instead of 5 feet over into my lane and tilting sideways. I have seen several of those big guys tipped over and lumber all over the road. Oh my gosh corner near sugarloaf has always been a great spot for that, but they actually just redid the entire corner this last month.

 

[amstony]

Is it finally going to happen?

great, I can't wait for the 6 new Walmarts.

well, at least maybe I won't hesitate to go to the next VT or NY Gathering...

spencer

Don't forget we'll also need a Home Depot at most exits, a Lowes at every 5th or 6th exit, a big new regional mall, and several Kohls and Targets to round out the plan. Then we'll also need a tunnel and a big bridge somewhere too..........