The debate over the Route 1 bypass has been ongoing for 40-plus years, but that debate will be coming to an end.

A series of seven informational meetings will be held between November 15 and December 6. Tonight, the first meeting will be held at the Boothbay Harbor Town Office at 6 p.m. All residents and business owners are strongly encouraged to attend.

On October 25, The Maine Department of Transportation (DOT) published the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on alternate routes for the bypass. These routes will be presented and discussed.

The authors of the DEIS include the Midcoast Bypass Task Force, MDOT, the Lincoln County Commissioners, community members, environmental groups and community leaders.

Boothbay region members of the task force are Boothbay selectman Ross Edwards, Boothbay Harbor town manager Tom Woodin, Edgecomb fire chief Barry Johnston, Edgecomb selectman Jo Cameron, Edgecomb planning board member Amanda Russell and Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce executive director Jaimie Logan.

Broad-based regional support is vital to the acquisition of funding for this multi-million dollar project.

The directors of the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce and the Boothbay Region Information Center recently issued a joint statement released in the Harbor chamber's weekly e-mail newsletter:

"We believe this to be one of the single most important issues affecting the economic future of the Boothbay region. The current situation has already begun to have a negative impact on tourism and economic development in the area.

"The long backups and traffic delays are not only a nuisance for travelers, employees, suppliers and residents of the area but also represent a safety issue. With the recent explosion of development on the Route 1 corridor through Wiscasset and on Davis Island, the situation is only going to get worse and there is an urgent need to reach a resolution soon.

"As a business community, we do not want to weigh in on which route is selected - we only wish to expedite the selection of a route. We do not consider `no build' or further studies to be viable options."

Boothbay Harbor Town Manager Tom Woodin, also a task force member, echoed the latter opinion of the chamber and information center.

"I think that most people would agree that a bypass is necessary - no build is not an option. The meeting here will, hopefully, inform people about the bypass options out there and encourage public discussion and feedback. I would encourage everyone to attend," Woodin said.

The congestion in Wiscasset has long been an issue for residents and visitors; one only has to look at the distance backed up traffic covers to know it is a problem.

According to the MDOT's Web site, the average annual vehicles on Route 1 through Woolwich, Wiscasset, and Edgecomb number 18,000 vehicles per day.

Maine DOT's projections indicate that number will increase to 24,000 vehicles by 2030.

Those opposed to the bypass say the congestion is only for a three-month period and not an issue the rest of the year; but with the ever-increasing number of cars being registered to new drivers every year, that argument will be visibly weakened.

Concern over the ability of emergency services to be able to get to fires and/or emergency room presents another reason for the bypass.

Logan was a member of the PAC established in 2000 by former DOT commissioner John Melrose.

She said that although the chamber and information center do not believe "no build" is a viable option at this point, it is always "on the table."

"Task Force members were told that by the DOT and I think that is also included in the intro to the study. They have some remedial actions outlines in the study under the No-Build alternative.

"But, having said that, the DOT expanded the Task Force last summer to include representatives of the communities surrounding Wiscasset and Edgecomb that are affected by Route 1 congestion.

"Route 1 congestion in Wiscasset is a regional problem, so it makes sense and is appropriate to expanding the Task Force to bring feedback from these communities to the table."

Logan said that last summer the DOT narrowed down the list of viable options, making it clear that this time the study was moving forward and a DEIS would be produced.

"The process has never gotten this far, and it is important for our community to now come forward and demonstrate, by their attendance and their comments for the official record, the critical nature of this issue," Logan said.

Comments made at three of the meetings will become part of the official record, a court stenographer will be present, and are scheduled for: Thursday, November 29 at 6 p.m. at the Edgecomb Town Hall; Saturday, December 1 at 10 a.m. at the Edgecomb Town Hall and on Tuesday, December 4 at 7 p.m. at Wiscasset High School.

To convey your comments for the public record, you may also submit them on the Web site, www.midcoastbypass.com where a form can be filled out and emailed. The comment section will be active through December 21. This is the first time in Maine that emailed comments are being accepted.

Other informational meetings are being held on Wednesday, November 28 at 5:30 p.m. at a Wiscasset Senior Center dinner (reservations required: 882-8230); Monday, December 3 at 6 p.m. at the Alna Fire Station and Thursday, December 6 at 6 p.m. at the Westport Island Town Hall.

On October 26, the DOT released the following as part of a press release:

"The DEIS is a pivotal piece in the effort to find a solution to the congestion issue in the Wiscasset-Edgecomb area. It analyzes the impacts of the no-build alternative (in which a bypass is not constructed) against five alternative bypass routes. These six alternatives remain from the more than 30 initially looked at by community members, the DOT, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and other state and federal agencies.

"The reasons why these routes became the final contenders are an important part of the DEIS. MDOT, which compiled the report in partnership with the FHWA, says that availability of the report now triggers a two-month Public Comment period.

"This is the first time the public will have all the facts on all of the options - including no-build - in front of them," says Dale Doughty, acting director of DOT's Bureau of Planning, the office spearheading the study. "We now need to hear from the public on how the DEIS can be improved. Did we miss anything? Does any information need correcting?"

"This is it," Doughty said. "A decision regarding the need for a bypass will be made based on this report and the comments we receive, so this is the time for everyone with an interest in the result to get their thoughts on record."

"All of this is designed to get a broad spectrum of constructive feedback on the DEIS so we can make the best possible decision," said Doughty.

Copies of the DEIS are available at the town offices in Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Wiscasset, Edgecomb, Newcastle, Alna, Woolwich and Westport Island.

The Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library has one copy and the Wiscasset Public Library has five copies for review.