Transportation Infrastructure for Economic Development

Workgroup Information

Primary Contacts

In Aroostook County:

Jay Kamm

In Washington County:

Judy East

Preparing for the 21st Century, this task will assemble all existing plans and policies and determine the options for filling gaps in our transportation infrastructure, modernizing our assets, and prioritizing capital investments.

Desired Outcomes

  • An efficient transportation system for movement of goods, services and people within the region and providing access to global markets
  • Increase in the median household income and stem population loss

Progress to Date

There are several existing planning documents in both Washington and Aroostook County with inventory and policy direction on transportation infrastructure to support economic development. An initial task is to assemble and post these existing plans, to identify information gaps, update where more recent data is available, and consult with workgroup members and stakeholders on the relevance and priority of the policies they contain.

Work Teams in both Counties examined the existing plans under current realities and created:

A primary focus for both counties was on Rail-to-Port Connectivity for the deep water Port of Eastport. Building on the 2009 Eastport Freight Rail Restoration Study, GROWashington-Aroostook completed a Rail to Port Alternatives Analysis from potential transloading sites in Perry to the port using GIS maps and a review of site constraints, flushing improvement to the upper reaches of Cobscook Bay and reducing freight traffic through the Passamaquoddy Reservation at Pleasant Point.