12.14.2017: We will learn shortly if this project has been pumped up with more cash as the 2018-2020 DOT Work Plan will be issued in less than 3 weeks.
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12.10.2017: Another article from the Portland Press Herald; more of the same actions from the MaineDOT. Yes folks, this IS the way the DOT operates; the two statements in the blue text boxes are exactly what we have seen with 2B-2. The DOT is also hell-bent with their pursuit of 2B-2 and not only did they parse the DEIS/FEIS to favor their “truth”, they removed all five of the alternatives that actual met all the original purpose and needs, and “removed language”of 2B’s documented safety concerns with the 4.5 miles of Route 9 that is an integral segment of 2B-2 that these same people asserted early on in the study “leaving an upbeat version”; the DOT ignored the expertise of the FHWA project Manager that proclaimed 2B-2 did not meet the study purpose and needs in December 2011 as the DEIS was going to print – the truth didn’t work in my community either.
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Click here to view complete Portland Press Herald article.
12.06.2017: A small win for Wiscasset as reported in the BDN.
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Click here to read complete Bangor Daily News article.
12.04.2017: A TRIP graphic to show the sad shape of Maine’s bridges…
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Click here to view TRIP report.
12.03.2017: How does the MaineDOT interact with the public? A gentleman from Wiscassett gave his opinion. That opinion is reinforced by a section of Maine State Statute that governs the way the DOT is supposed to operate. When law makers find it necessary to put that strong of a statement within a statute, something is wrong. I must say that I concur with the gentleman from Wiscasset, I have the scars to prove it…
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Click here to view the Maine State Statute governing Transportation Policy.
11.30.2017: Excerpts from a November 29th Portland Press Herald article referenced in email below.
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Click here to view Portland Press Herald article.
11.30.2017: Email sent out this morning reference law suits and legislative action in an attempt to get the MaineDOT to take another look at the Wiscasset project.
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Click here to view Bangor Daily News article.
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Click here to view Press Herald article.
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Click here to view Boothbay Register article.
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11.23.2017: We are nearing the end of 17 years of living with the threat of this highway in our backyards. So that no one forgets, remember the following actions and I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!! I am thankful for the possibility that someone at the highest levels will step forward and put an end to this boondoggle. 2B-2 does not meet the original purpose and needs of this project and it is too damn expensive at a time when we can’t even afford to maintain our existing infrastructure. I really do hope…
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11.10.2017: I added the following comment on 11.09 in response to the 11.07 BDN article and this morning that same comment has magically disappeared. Not sure why, as my comment was 100% factual and not combative or addressed to any other comment; comments are now closed. Never had a comment in over 5 years deleted and I hope it was accidental and not a form of censorship; what ever happened to free speech??
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11.06.2017: What is the cost of a transportation bond? The BDN has the answer.
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11.04.2017: Fiscal components from the TRIP report.
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Click here to view complete document.
11.03.2017: Structurally deficient bridges in Maine:
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Click here to view complete document.
11.03.2017: TRIP report on bridges in the Bangor area.
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Click here to view complete report.
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11.03.2017: eMail sent out this afternoon, more to follow…
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10.29.2017: Self explanatory…
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10.26.2017: Another comment, my own…
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Click here to view comments from BDN Editorial.
10.25.2017: A few comments from recent BDN editorial.
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Click here to view comments from BDN Editorial.
10.24.2017: A Bangor Daily News Editorial…
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Click here to view entire editorial on the BDN.
10.24.2017: Another report from Strong Towns:
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Click here to view complete Strong Towns report.
9.30.2017 – A reminder of just some of the things we have been told over the years:
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MaineDOT Notable Quotables…
9.22.2017: I hope everyone had a great summer; another season has come and gone and we still know very little about how 2B-2’s “final design” will impact our lives. There have been no project status updates from the MaineDOT; rumors are they have been talking to directly impacted homeowners as part of the eminent domain procedure. Also, second-hand rumors of big changes in 2B-2’s routing, but those rumors remain unsubstantiated, may be nothing more than wishful thinking and not based in reality.
8.15.2017: A map of 2B-2 was provided to a city official several weeks ago from the current Route 9 Connector Project Manager, the sixth MaineDOT project management change since the start of this project in 2000; I was given access to that file. I have no idea of the date or even the validity of the file, but it was uploaded in May of 2017. It is a 303 MB file and I am unable to upload files greater than 32 MB on this website, hence the only way to share it is through screen captures. I hesitated for weeks to give anyone access to this, as there are still inaccuracies as can be seen on several of the screen captures. One would expect, after all these years and after spending in excess of $3 million, that if a road is supposed to meet another road, or a bridge is going over or under an existing road, that those should all line up and in some cases they do not. SO, use these screen captures at your own peril. An inaccuracy of mere feet can make all the difference when you are that close in proximity to either losing your home and/or property or abutting 2B-2’s right-of-way.
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DEIS Summary page s.12:
7.21.2017: Another transportation bond coming…
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Click here to view complete Bangor Daily News article.
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Click here to view the current 2017-2019 Work Plan.
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7.09.2017: I’ve been searching since early 2012 for the original I-395 project FEIS and finally found a copy on Google Books. Of interest is the following paragraph reference the benefit versus cost of the project; the B/C ratio in 1977 for I-395 was an overwhelming 19.0/20.0 to 1. In contrast the B/C ratio for the I-395/Route9 connector in 2012 is an underwhelming 1.007/1!! A project is considered minimally viable at 1.0; does anyone think it peculiar to find the MDOT bragging up a 1.007? The cost of 2B-2 was no more than a guesstimate as proven out by several FOAA documents included in the FOAA document section of this website. When you control the documentation, you can steer facts in the direction that you want; anyone selling this project (MDOT main talking point) on its “reasonable” $61 million price tag (in 2011 dollars, by the way) is not based in reality; one would expect that construction cost will far exceed that value and could easily double by the time 2B-2 is constructed.
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7.07.2017: June 27, 2017 report from the TRIP group reminds us of the poor condition of Maine’s rural roads and bridges. The MaineDOT does not balk at spending $61 million to construct 2B-2, a deficient alternative that met only 20% of the study purpose and needs in April 2009, while the state of Maine does not have enough money to maintain our existing infrastructure. Here are the cold facts: 39% of Maine’s rural roads are rated as mediocre to poor, and 15% of Maine’s rural bridges are rated as structurally deficient!! The current 2017-2019 DOT Work Plan incorporates a yearly $59 million shortfall in the Core Highway and Bridge program. 2B-2 is now funded (FY2017) with $7.25 million of our critical transportation dollars to complete engineering and eminent domain actions. Wouldn’t it make more sense to terminate this project immediately and reallocate all present and future 2B-2 funds to the current existing unmet transportation needs of our state??
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Click here to view complete TRIP report.
7.07.2017: A Bangor Daily News article and an email to my neighbors and community leaders; the project at Wiscasset faces a rocky relationship with the MDOT, much like what we have experienced.
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Click here to view complete BDN article as posted on the BDN website.
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7.06.2017: An update from the MDOT – the first update since July 2016; I believe this is at least the 6th project manager since 2000. And – this one thinks we actually support this project!!
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6.09.2017: The DEIS reported that the City of Brewer would lose $37,000 per year for the simple fact that you cannot tax a road. The real fact is that the City of Brewer may lose a million dollars from this connector over the 20 year design-life of 2B-2…
6.05.2017: Hope everyone is having a safe and happy spring. There have been no web updates for quite a while, since there has been no news from the MDOT for ages. Rumor has it, the airborne surveying had to be flown again because when the survey data for 2B-2 was assembled – it did not meet in the middle…
4.26.2017: An opinion editorial from the co-chair of the JSC on Transportation.
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Click here to read Bangor Daily News OPED.
4.06.2017: A compilation of study news in the first quarter of 2017 in newsletter-form.
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Click here to view complete document.
3.29.2017: Front page and above the fold a year ago!!
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Click here to view online version.
3.22.2017 – I never get tired of showing the following statements from an official MDOT technical memorandum dated Oct2003; the MDOT, knew from the start of this project, the importance of the “east of Route 46” system linkage need and that need was clearly stated: “To meet the needs of improved regional system linkage while minimizing impacts to people…” The “minimizing impacts to people” was not just a benefit or a passing statement, it was an important part of the original criteria for the “east of Route 46” system linkage need requirement for this project. The MDOT also knew what would happen, to said impacted people, if this new connector did not meet that original system linkage need requirement; “negatively affect” and “seriously impact” are strong words – MDOT’s own words – the question should be, why would the state go out of their way to impact its own citizens, when they were fully aware from the start of this project, that is exactly what will happen?
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3.12.2017 – The state of our country’s infrastructure as reported by the ASCE:
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Click here to view the 2017 Infrastructure report.
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3.01.2017 – The impacts will keep coming even after the 8 homes are demolished and the 54 properties taken:
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Click here to view document with working hyperlinks.
2.25.2017 – Just a reminder of what 2B-2 isn’t…
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2.21.2017 – UPS knows that left-hand turns are dangerous and in fact their GPS mapping minimizes left-hand turns when possible.
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Click here to view document with working hyperlinks.
2.19.2017 – The continued saga in Wiscasset and the issue of eminent domain:
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Click here to view complete article.
2.17.2017 – New report on the state of our state’s bridges:
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Click here to view document with working hyperlinks.
2.16.2017 – Interesting article about what was once a “sister” project to the I-395/Route 9 Transportation Study with the same people involved, the same time period with similar costs.
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Click here to view entire BDN article.
2.06.2017 – Another questionable bypass project as reported in the Bangor Daily News.
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Click here to view complete BDN article.
2.05.2017 – A history lesson in January 2003 and a forewarning of what was to come. Was the process fair? Was 2B-2 “truly the best alternative”? Did a “small constituency” hijack the study process? Read for yourself and make up your own mind…
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Click here to view pdf version with working hyperlinks.
2.05.2017 – So, you think you’re going to recoup your losses through an abatement – guess again!!
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2.05.2017 – “We will build a great wall”!!
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Click here to view comments in the Bangor Daily News.
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Click here to view Substantive Comments Document see page 36.
2.05.2017 – An updated page (see 1.27.2017) that shows what all impacted communities will lose in tax revenues over the 20 year design-life of the connector. It’s not far-fetched to say that Brewer’s revenue losses may approach $1,000,000 and Eddington’s losses may approach $500,000 over a 20 year period. What is the significance of the 20 year period? Benefit to cost (benefit divided by cost) is a simple mathematical ratio and must equal 1.0 or higher to be viable. That benefit is figured over the lifetime of the connector, or 20 years. The MaineDOT likes to say the B/C ratio for this project was 1.1; actually it is 1.007, so not sure how that rounded up to 1.1. Also, almost laughable is that the cost of 2B-2 was exactly the amount needed to make the B/C ratio work; that $61 million, as we would find out, is nothing more than a guesstimate at best. So, if the B/C ratio is based on 20 years, the tax revenue losses to the impacted communities needs to also be stated in the same 20 year period, and looking at the DEIS – that was not true: it is only stated as an annual loss – move along, there’s nothing to see here…
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Click here to view Bangor Daily News article dated 4.10.2016.
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Click here to view Bangor Daily News article dated 1.23.2017.
2.02.2017 – Article posted in the Bangor Daily News:
Click here to view the complete Bangor Daily News article.
1.31.2017 – State of Maine document identifies the property tax abatement process:
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Click here to view complete document.
1.30.2017 – By the end of the year or as soon as the final design is completed and the eminent domain process is done ruining the lives of 8 families and 54 property owners, we will know the full impact of the proximity effect. Tax abatement doesn’t go very far to make up for any losses that we may suffer, not even close! We will never be made whole again…
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1.29.2017 – Email to impacted residents and community leaders.
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1.27.2017 – Screen capture of disclaimer added to the official project website.
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Click here to view the new official MaineDOT project website.
1.27.2017 – Impacted communities may start feeling the monetary impact of this project by the end of the year; 2B-2’s final design and the eminent domain process have been funded by a $7.25 million appropriation in the DOT 2017-2019 Work Plan.
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Click here to view above page with working hyperlinks.
1.25.2017 – Added comments to the recent BDN article – the MaineDOT and the FHWA had serious safety concerns with the 2B alternative, specifically with the use of Route 9 as an integral segment of the alternative; that alternative (2B) was removed from further consideration by January of 2003 and the reasons were well documented in an October 2003 Technical Memorandum. 2B-2 did not meet purpose and needs in April of 2009, yet now our state feels fit to spend $61 million to take this same alternative to construction…
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Click here to view the comment section of this BDN article.
1.23.2017 – Bangor Daily News article posted online this morning and was front page-below the fold in today’s print issue. Many people are impacted by this questionable project to include those that, through no fault of their own, simply abut this connector and have already suffered a loss of valuation in their real estate with no instrument to recoup that loss – absolutely zero compensation…
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I-395/Route 9 connector neighbors lament threat to home values
Click here to view complete BDN article with working hyperlinks.
1.22.2017 – A repost that is very important. Literally hundreds of us are impacted in some form or another from 2B-2. The MaineDOT minimizes the 8 homeowners, that will soon feel the affect of eminent domain, with the word “displacement” as if that minimizes the impact and the pain that many of these people feel. The MaineDOT voiced serious concerns over those living on Route 9 in their Oct2003 Technical Memorandum. I have asked the question several times: why are the people and the communities on Route 9 that were so negatively and severely impacted in 2003, no longer impacted? We never got an acceptable answer; “we took a hard look at Route 9” is not now and never was an acceptable answer.
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Click here to view Oct2003 Technical Memorandum – turn to page 5.
1.18.2017 – Bangor Daily News article posted 1.17.2017. Three things to take away from this article: First, the MaineDOT used to send out biweekly status reports which started in Nov2012 as every two weeks and rapidly into once a month or every few months before virtually disappearing. (See the biweekly report section on this website.) Issues like these could be cleared up easily by reinitiating the status report requirement. Second, when the MaineDOT 2017-2019 Work Plan contains $19 million of unmet bridge needs each year of the plan for an overall shortfall of $59 million each year of the plan in the Core Highway and Bridge Program (scroll down to view 1.09.2017 entry) – why did the DOT feel they could spend $7.25 million on a deficient connector that many impacted citizens and their duly elected community leaders have made perfectly clear that they do not support? Third, the $7.25 million appropriated for the connector is logically a continuation of the right-of-way and design process -BUT, that seems to be quite a bit of money to just buy the right-of-way. It’s our money – they need to be telling us what they are doing with it!!
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Click here to view article online with working hyperlinks.
1.17.2017 – Recent Bangor Daily News article:
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Click here to view BDN article.
1.14.2017 – eMail sent out this morning to community leaders and impacted neighbors:
*NOTE: A new page has been added to this website to capture the important historic documentation that – for reasons unknown – is no longer provided by the MaineDOT.
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Click here to view the “Documents no longer available online (1/17)” page.
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Click here to view the new – officially sanitized – MaineDOT project website.
1.09.2017 – What could be done with the money that will be squandered on 2B-2? How can new projects be considered when there is a $59 million shortfall annually in the current Work Plan?
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Click here to view the MaineDOT 2017-2018-2019 Work Plan.
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1.03.2017 – Just issued today – the latest and greatest 3 year MaineDOT Work Plan:
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Click here to view MaineDOT 2017 – 2019 Work Plan.
