Edgecomb selectman Jo Cameron started off the town's second informational meeting on the bypass Saturday morning saying, "Keep it under four minutes, and if you can avoid ranting, please do so."

Not to be outdone, publicist Carol Morris noted the rather cool temperature inside the old town hall building, advising, "Talk as much as possible - we clearly need a lot of hot air in here." Saturday morning's 25 to 30 mile an hour winds might have kept a few people away (there were about 30) but the first meeting on Thursday night drew about 70 people.

Information on the Route 1 bypass in the towns of Wiscasset and Edgecomb has been funded, compiled, studied, evaluated, reviewed, re-written, re-studied, and commented on for over 50 years - but this current round has gotten further than any of the others.

At issue now is whether the state's Department of Transportation has gotten all the pertinent information together that would affect the construction of five proposed bypass routes and the no-build option. The state has had a round of meetings to get input from residents on its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Public comment ends on Friday, December 21, after which a final EIS will be released.

Cameron pointed out that none of the state's maps show the neighborhood of houses on the Englebrekt Road; nor is there any mention in the DEIS of the results of archaeological studies the state has done in that area.

She questioned the state's decision to use traffic data that was gathered in 2002. Wiscasset Police Officer John Allen, who has worked for the town for 20 years, says the worst of the traffic through Wiscasset came in 2005, and congestion has lessened since that time.

Cameron also questioned why the state maps do not show the apartment buildings now under construction on Davis Island. There may also be an assisted living complex on the same site, she said. She noted that both of these developments will generate more traffic on Route 1.

Cameron also raised concerns about increased traffic on the narrow, winding Eddy Road, saying, "This road cannot be widened, and it should not be stressed any more."

In a presentation before the public comment period, Project Manager Ed Hanscom said the state originally started with over 60 proposed bypass routes. The advantages of the remaining five routes are a reduction in traffic of between 50 percent and 90 percent, depending upon the route chosen. Crashes are projected to be reduced by nine to 15 a year. Costs range from $68 to $79 million.

Morris said the state hopes to made a final decision on the route by the middle of 2008.

"There is no way to know when construction will begin," she said. "Getting funding could go a lot more quickly if there is broad support from all the communities," she added.

All of the comments made at the public hearing will be recorded and analyzed. A stenographer was present to record the entire meeting.

A McKay Road resident said landing on Davis Island, the N8C route, "doesn't make sense because there's a lot of building going on there."

A Boothbay resident asked why the bypass couldn't go across Westport Island to Edgecomb. Morris said the state would not be able to get a permit to build a bridge across the Sheepscot River.

Wiscasset resident Brett Benway said he lives within view of the Davey Bridge between Wiscasset and Edgcomb, and has seen a reduction in traffic in the last few years.

"This is not a year round problem," Benway said. "Traffic management and signage would greatly reduce the traffic problems in the summer." Benway and his partner, Doug Fitts began construction of a new neighborhood of homes on Clark's Point last year, and have put in roads and two houses. However, until they know which bypass will be selected, they are holding off on building any more houses.

Another Edgecomb resident criticized the state for not responding to a request he made several years ago to lower the speed limit on the Davey Bridge.

Edgecomb resident Amanda Russell asked if it would be possible to build a new Route 27-Route 1 intersection even if no bypass is built.

"It may be worthwhile to build that anyway," Hanscom said. Russell is a former planning board member and a member of the Midcoast Bypass Task Force which will meet to review all the comments after the public comment period ends.