Up to 33 homes and 15 businesses in two towns could be wiped out by the eventual building of a Route 1 bypass, according to the state's draft EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) released to the public last week.

The document notes that the so-called "no build" option is not consistent with the goals and vision of the town's comprehensive plan.

Representatives from MDOT stopped into the Wiscasset Newspaper office last week to talk about the study, their plans for upcoming public information meetings and the role of the Midcoast Bypass Task Force, whose members met Monday, October 29 at the 911 Communications building in Wiscasset.

"One of the things that concerns us is that people get an understanding of what a bypass would mean to the region as a whole," said MDOT's Dale Doughty. "It's easy to focus on the bad impacts. We are not asking people which route they want - we just want to make sure we didn't miss something." One issue that MDOT was not aware of is the possibility that the Wiscasset Primary School will be closed. All of the routes would pass near the school.

"The impact of the various routes are somewhat similar," Doughty said. The purpose of EIS, prepared by MDOT and the Federal Highway Administration, is "to provide a full accounting of the environmental impacts to the natural, social, atmospheric and transportation environments" in the study area, which is Wiscasset and Edgecomb. Balancing all these issues, none of the routes emerge as a clear winner, Doughty said.

The state "will offer in writing just compensation" for those properties that will be taken. If the owner is not satisfied with the state's offer, the owner may go through an appeals process, the EIS says. Property owners whose land may be taken will be provided with at least 90 days notice.

Property owners who may be affected by one of the proposed routes recently received letters informing them of that fact. Once the highway administration issues its record of decision on a route, the state can begin buying up rights of way, Doughty said.

"This will also get rid of the uncertainty for homeowners in towns who may be directly affected by the route," he said.

Doughty said he doesn't expect construction will even begin for another ten years. Funding for the road will most likely come from a Congressional earmark, which is money designated by a member of Congress for a particular project. Money from the federal government for a project such as this is critical, Doughty said.

"We have an aging infrastructure in Maine - we have a hard enough time paying for road and bridge repairs, much less building new roads," he said.

Price estimates range from $1.1 million for the "no build" option to between $68 million and $79 million for the four alternative routes. This includes all costs, including securing land, moving utilities, and actual construction.

"These prices are 2006 dollars," Doughty said, a reference to the rising labor, materials, and fuel costs that will change those numbers in the years to come.

The "unit bridge cost" over water is estimated at $225 per square foot of deck, while the unit bridge cost over land is estimated at $200 per square foot; these amounts are "slightly higher than the original $180 per square foot.

The no build option would be about $1.1 million, which would cover construction costs of upgrades designed to make traffic flow more smoothly.

All of the proposed routes "would have an adverse effect on historic properties," the EIS says, including splitting the Sortwell forest into two sections by taking six acres of land, and taking an historic house at 16 Bradford Road.

Included in the DEIS are a number of color photographs, including one taken of Main Street, near the post office, looking down the hill and onto the Davey Bridge.

The caption reads, "During the summer, traffic is often backed up for several miles in both directions as too many vehicles try to wind their way down Main Street during July and August. The backups start before 11 a.m. and continue to 6 p.m. or later. Typically, approaching drivers average 50 miles per hour in the morning and evening, and 10 miles per hour from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m."

Asked if this applies to every day in July and August, Doughty said the study that generated those numbers was based on traffic samples on different days, not for the entire two-month period.

The greatest number of motor vehicle accidents in the study area occur along Route 1 at the following intersections: (1) Bradford Road and Lee Streets; (2) Gardiner Road; (3) from Railroad Avenue (dirt road near the railroad tracks in Wiscasset) to the Edgecomb Town Line; (4) Eddy Road in Edgecomb; and the Boothbay Road (Route 127) in Edgecomb.

Costs to relocate public utilities. These include:

*Cable TV - $55,000 - $75,000

*CMP - $140,000 - $210,000

*Verizon -$100,000 - $135,000

*Sewer - $370,000 - $437,000

*Water - $235,000

The role of the task force in the upcoming weeks will be to bring comments back to the state from citizens of their communities, host informational meetings, and help the state interpret what people's concerns are, Doughty said.

This is the first time MDOT has used a task force to try to help people understand the project, Doughty said.

Informational meetings are set for November 15 at 6 p.m. at the Boothbay Harbor Town Office; November 28 at the Wiscasset Senior Center, after the 5:30 p.m. dinner (make a reservation for the dinner by calling 882-8230); November 29 at 6 p.m. at the Edgecomb Town Hall; December 29 at 10 a.m. at the Edgecomb Town Hall; December 3 at the Alna Fire Station; December 4 at Wiscasset High School, and December 6 at 6 p.m. at the Westport Town Hall.