Dreaming of a Superhighway Across Maine

Officials in Maine are considering a plan to build a cross-state superhighway.

1 minute read

June 9, 2008, 5:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur


"With diesel fuel about to hit $5 a gallon and with both the Maine and U.S. governments coping with growing deficits, Peter Vigue has never been more convinced that the time to build an east-west toll road through north-central Maine is now."

"Vigue thinks routing more heavy truck traffic through Bangor and other existing communities is a mistake. His route relies almost entirely on existing rights-of-way, including largely dormant logging roads. The 2,000-foot-wide corridor would avoid communities, but would allow controlled access by hunters, fishermen and other non-commercial traffic headed to the wilderness areas the toll road would traverse.

Vigue said the proposed transportation and utility corridor needs to be 2,000 feet wide to accommodate setback requirements should the right-of-way include high-voltage power lines and gas pipelines. That width also would accommodate future construction of an east-west rail line, he said.

With an almost religious fervor, Vigue has been busy since last August, preaching the Maine East-West Toll Corridor gospel in both in Maine and in Atlantic Canada."

Thursday, June 5, 2008 in The Ellsworth American

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view image of strip mall in suburban Duncanville, Texas.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall

A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

5 hours ago - Parking Reform Network

Blue tarps covering tents set up by unhoused people along chain link fence on concrete sidewalk.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work

Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

7 hours ago - Next City

Aerial tram moving along cable in hilly area in Medellin, Colombia.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle

Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.

July 6 - InTransition Magazine