A Bunch of Subversives in Central Maine (Brunswick, China: 2014, buyer)

[Maineac]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

"I have yet to be convinced that Maine could benefit sufficiently to offset cutting the State in half for the profit of a few."

That's what they said about I-95 that split so many towns in half and turned half into ghost towns.

First, find us someone - ANYONE that you can quote or reference that "that's what THEY said about I-95." Who's "they"? The big bad "environmental industry"? References, dear boy.

Next, apples and oranges? Maybe even rutabagas and oranges. The current proposal is not part of the U.S. Interstate System, which is a PUBLIC highway system. It is for a very, very private, zero access-for-Mainers highway simply for the profits that will be made by a few. See, that's why the public, and even the Bangor Daily News (eh) is so confused. Some still think the State is doing this and it's the old Rt. 2 Rt. 9 discussion. All of the facts, plans, route detail, etc. has been judiciously hidden from view. Ma and Pa Canuck will not be able to jump on in the family wagon and head to Maine. Nor will we be granted access. Why would they? High speed trucking and the attendant liability of private highway. The question is, on balance, will the tax receipts be worth slicing our State in half, limiting our ability to move North and South to whatever areas Peter Vigue deigns as "crossings", and destroying multiple watersheds for decades? When China or Spain takes over the E/W highway, then what? Everything but tax dollars flows out of the country?

[Coaster]

Maineac, one correction. The current plans for the E-W Highway do include some interchanges in Maine -- less than five last time I looked at the proposal. It also -- for now, at the moment, for PR purposes probably -- includes several "green crossings" that would allow animals to cross. That's several across the entire width of Maine. Nothing has been said about the innumerable side roads, snowmobile and ATV trails, private roads, etc. that the highway would interrupt. They are likely SOL.

[Coaster]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

"I have yet to be convinced that Maine could benefit sufficiently to offset cutting the State in half for the profit of a few."

That's what they said about I-95 that split so many towns in half and turned half into ghost towns.

Such as? Try as I might, I can't think of a single ghost town along I-95, or even a town (I assume you mean the village area) that was cut in half. Several towns on the routes that I-95 replaced, such as Route 2, may have lost some businesses or population, but that was a function of lost traffic, not being "split in half."

[Maineac]

I'm aware of the exits and entrance ramps. The question remains that has never been answered, who will be using those? I submit that it will be neither you nor I, and they'll be used either as refueling interchanges or to get broken down vehicles off the road and other obvious uses for maintenance vehicle access, etc., but Ma and Pa ain't gettin' on in the family sedan.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Maineac imagines:
"It is for a very, very private, zero access-for-Mainers highway simply for the profits that will be made by a few."

That's sort of like the road from Washington DC to Dulles International. That's a foreign owned toll road. There are many foreign owned toll roads in our country because we can no longer afford to build government roads. Oh, you can get to Dulles by driving through suburbia, but you might miss your flight if you get there after the two hour early check-in.

-break-

For the poster who can't think of any towns that were split By I-95 north of Bangor, here's a short list:

Ludlow
Smyrna
Dyer Brook
Chester (actually moved their town line)
Edinburgh
Argyle

Just look at the many roads that end at I-95. At least the new road will have a bridge or tunnel to get to every single hunting camp, fish camp and back 40 of a farm. A fire department won't have to drive 50 miles to get to a fire on the other side of the road.

[Maineac]

I'm one of those "people" that the far right can't stand. What my father calls a "sexual intellectual" (f'n know-it-all). Eight years of college and over the top continuing education annually. Can't help it. Love it. But they really hate educated people.

So those towns all became "ghost towns" after I-95. You think anyone in those towns particularly cared? Bangor was split in two as well. So was Stillwater. Orono. Nobody really, really cared. Back then it was progress. Today, it's merely greed. So tell me, where has Peter Vigue or Darryl Brown come right out and stated this toll road will be accessible by your average person (for a toll, of course). They've been asked that, among other things, and have sort of skipped over the answer. This is all about Cianbro, Vigue and Brown, and now the Irvings and the Provinces. Profiteering on a massive scar bisecting the State of Maine from Canada to Canada. And what does "a fire dept. won't have to drive 50 miles to get a fire on the other side of the road" mean? Of COURSE they will. For the benefit of a few. Should be fun to watch these guys f*@k up my home State, then sell it to the Chinese, all for the almighty dollar.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

"So tell me, where has Peter Vigue or Darryl Brown come right out and stated this toll road will be accessible by your average person (for a toll, of course)."

Schooner's Restaurant, 5 South Main Street, Brewer, ME. I was there. Yes, an eyewitness once again. Not everything is tweets and youtube. There is real and valid information in direct personal conversation and in those old fashioned things called books.

As to private toll roads, "Dulles Greenway is owned by TRIPP II, a limited partnership,[4] but is maintained by Macquarie Atlas Roads, an Australian company which owns the majority stake in the partnership." They are one of many private toll roads. Here's a list of toll roads in our country:

List of toll roads in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Try to focus on the facts. There will be hundreds of road crossings over and under the road. There will be bridges for wildlife and hikers, bicycle paths, ATV paths and snowmobile trails along and across the road. And, yes, firemen.

[Coaster]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

For the poster who can't think of any towns that were split By I-95 north of Bangor, here's a short list:

Nice bit of misdirection there. I said village areas that were split by the highway. Of course some towns would be divided, but certainly not to the extent of causing the "ghost towns" you were claiming. But let's look at your examples, just for grins and giggles.

Ludlow

I-95 runs right along the southern border of Ludlow just outside Houlton, and all its roads run to Route 1 in the east. There was no village there to begin with, it's a rural farming community just outside Houlton that wasn't cut off or split by I-95.

Smyrna

Right on Route 2, it was one of the towns, as I said, that lost traffic and thus business. Its access was never compromised by I-95. Its population has actually increased in the last 15 years, as opposed to Aroostook County as a whole, so obviously the interstate hasn't hurt it that badly.

Dyer Brook

Again, not even a village, and I-95 traverses the forested part of the town, not the farming region on the east side. No one was cut off or isolated. Again, it was a Route 2 town that would have lost traffic even if there were businesses in it.

Chester (actually moved their town line)

A rural town on the outskirts of Lincoln that actually has an exit off I-95. Again, no village to speak of. What did you do, just pick towns at random from Houlton south?

Edinburgh
Argyle

We'll combine these two for convenience. Both are heavily forested, with few roads (none of which seem to be terminated by I-95) and very lightly populated, although both have seen their populations increase in the last 15 years, so obviously the Interstate must have made them suffer terribly.

Just look at the many roads that end at I-95. At least the new road will have a bridge or tunnel to get to every single hunting camp, fish camp and back 40 of a farm. A fire department won't have to drive 50 miles to get to a fire on the other side of the road.

Baloney. I've seen the plans for the E-W Highway, and the crossings are few and far between. Dozens, if not hundreds, of private camp roads and snowmobile trails will be blocked by the highway, and the issue of public roads has not yet been settled. You talk about the roads that end at publicly funded I-95 and then expect anyone to believe that a privately funded road will do any better? Please, pull my other leg to correct the limp.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

To quote: "Baloney". There are no plans. Nobody knows who will sell their property for a private road so there is no map. There are many questions that need to be answered before such a road is built 10 or 12 years in the future. Some people get frantic when anyone mentions economic development of any kind in Maine.

[Maineac]

Yeah, it's all about the freedom to be left in quiet enjoyment of your property. I'm sure of one thing. There are undoubtedly very detailed engineering specs and your "there are no plans" is the baloney. There is no map available to the public because they want to keep it hidden and avoid the confrontations, as with these Grandmothers in Garland and Dover, that will undoubtedly ensue. Naturally, people don't have the freedom to confront or turn away negative development in your myopic world, do they? Only what you see as "freedom" to clearcut, pave and pollute. The "anything for a buck" concept.