Transportation Regional Assessment & Penobscot Narrows Plan Presented by Jim Fisher Hancock County Planning Commission

Transportation Regional Assessment & Penobscot Narrows Plan

• Presented by Jim Fisher Hancock County Planning Commission

• Machias, October 4, 2005

• Bucksport, October 27, 2005

• Orono, November 2, 2005

Long Range

• Maine is aging

• Service economy transition

• Tourist markets shifting

• NE region congested

• Global shipping challenges

• Workforce constrains growth

• Maine regions matter

• Technology and uncertainty

• The process is the principle

Births and Deaths

Long Range

• Maine is aging

• Service economy transition

• Tourist markets shifting

• NE region congested

• Global shipping challenges

• Workforce constrains growth

• Maine regions matter

• Technology and uncertainty

• The process is the principle

Long Range

• Maine is aging

• Service economy transition

• Tourist markets shifting

• NE region congested

• Global shipping challenges

• Workforce constrains growth

• Maine regions matter

• Technology and uncertainty

• The process is the principle

Long Range

• Maine is aging

• Service economy transition

• Tourist markets shifting

• NE region congested

• Global shipping challenges

• Workforce constrains growth

• Maine regions matter

• Technology and uncertainty

• The process is the principle

Long Range

• Maine is aging

• Service economy transition

• Tourist markets shifting

• NE region congested

• Global shipping challenges

• Workforce constrains growth

• Maine regions matter

• Technology and uncertainty

• The process is the principle

Long Range

• Maine is aging

• Service economy transition

• Tourist markets shifting

• NE region congested

• Global shipping challenges

• Workforce constrains growth

• Maine regions matter

• Technology and uncertainty

• The process is the principle

Long Range

• Maine is aging

• Service economy transition

• Tourist markets shifting

• NE region congested

• Global shipping challenges

• Workforce constrains growth

• Maine regions matter

• Technology and uncertainty

• The process is the principle

Coordinating Transportation and Economic Development

• Define primary corridors

• Map corridor assets

• Identify critical issues

• Economy
• Land Use
• Transportation

• Identify future objectives

• Create a new process for public involvement

Transportation Survey – Corridor Use and Condition

• The respondents are drawn almost equally from the three planning sub-regions.

• General agreement that the roads are somewhere between poor and good.

• Midcoast respondents had the most positive responses.

• Hancock County respondents were most critical of the roads.

Transportation Survey – Modes

• Daily use of personal automobiles dominates

• Carpooling significant but opportunistic

• Would walk, ride buses or carpool if convenient.

• Research into barriers warranted.

Transportation Survey – Important Issues

• Safety and speeding most important issues

• Congestion important in the midcoast and Hancock Co.

• Road design and maintenance

• Northeastern counties stressed maintaining rural highways.

• Midcoast and Hancock County - alternative modes

• Improving east-west connections

Prioritization

Penobscot River

• Bucksport

• Crossroads
• 20 miles from everything

• Multi-modal corridor

• Route 15
• Route 1A
• MMA - Mack Point
• Guilford - Bucksport
• Penobscot River – American Eagle Cruise

• Traffic volumes

• 4,000 to 7,000 FAADT

• Connections

• Route 1 / Route 3
• Route 46 Holden
• Route 15 Blue Hill
• Route 175 Castine

Penobscot River - Economy

• Objectives

• Support traditional industries with high quality transportation and communications infrastructure.
• Improve efficiency of rail service to promote expanded use for freight.
• Expand access to the Penobscot River for recreational and passenger excursions. Make the Penobscot River and Bucksport Bay a tourism destination.
• Develop trails, bikeways and other alternative corridors connecting communities, schools and venues for tourism.
• Promote school-town collaboration in providing community transit services.

Penobscot River - Land Use

• Objectives

• Encourage residential and commercial investment in service centers
• Encourage retention of farmland, forestry and other resource-based land-uses.
• Encourage safe design and location of driveways and entrances to highways to retain mobility along the arterial corridors.

Penobscot River - Transportation

• Objectives

• Improve safety standards for access to Route 15 & Route 1A.
• Improve public transportation
• expanded shuttle bus service,
• bus service from Bucksport to Bangor,
• volunteer driver and taxi services for rural residences.
• Increase parking at Fort Knox, Verona Island and Bucksport if tourism increases significantly.
• Weight limits on I95 should be in line with state highways.

Penobscot Narrows Master Plan

• Description

• Public Involvement

• Inventory of existing transportation infrastructure and services.

• Inventory of existing and potential land use policies that impact transportation

• Demand forecasts

• Identify feasible transportation investments

• Relationship to Gateway 1

Penobscot Narrows Master Plan

• New Bridge

• Prospect Pedestrian Connections

• Verona Island Pedestrian Project

• Access to popular venues

• Fort Knox
• Bucksport Village and Riverfront
• Verona Island Boat Ramp
• Great Pond Mountain
• Craig Brook Hatchery
• Toddy Pond

Pedestrian Crossing

Verona Island Pedestrian Alternatives

Access to Bucksport Waterfront

Way-finding and Interpretation

Summing Up

• Connect transportation, economy and land use

• Think globally, act locally

• Look, listen and learn

• Set priorities

• Support improvements