Gateway 1, local committee still alive and active

Gateway 1, local co m mittee still alive and active

Gateway 1, local co m mittee still alive and active

With the school consolidation, jail consolidation, and bypass issues all in the news these days, we haven't heard much about the Gateway 1 project, and the local steering committees working t o gether.

According to Jay Collins the chairman of the Steering Committee, the project is alive and active. The Woolwich selectmen were given a report at their meeting Monday evening as to what the committee has been doing this past year.

Gateway 1 is a long-term planning process created in 2004 to preserve both transportation capacity and quality of life along Route 1. The project has been developed in partnership between Maine Department of Transportation and the towns on Route 1 from Brunswick to Pro s pect.

All 21 towns signed a Memorandum of U n derstanding and agreed to work with MDOT to complete a r e gional comprehensive land use and transportation plan, and are now moving into the final phase of the project.

According to the report most of the activity this past year has been trying to get their arms around a workable planning process to preserve both transportation and quality of life for people who live along Route 1.

Their work has included: "collected data on each town's land use and transportation needs; reviewed community values that drive pla n ning decisions; attempted to get the root causes of the transportation problems; attempted to link them to land use trends; attempted to link them to projected economic and pr o jected population changes; and developed co m puter models."

Currently computer models are being developed to identify the locations where growth will occur on Route 1, and a model for traffic demand in those areas. With the ability to make these proje c tions it will more clearly pinpoint trouble spots that will d e velop on Route 1 through 2030.

Sometime in April regional meetings of steering committees me m bers, municipal officials and volu n teers will evaluate the computer model results and provide feedback on the models.

The project is divided into six regions. Woolwich is part of Region 1, which also includes Brunswick, and Bath. They will meet Thur s day, March 6, at the West Bath Community Room, at 5:30 p.m. It is e x pected that representatives from the MDOT will be on hand to answer any questions and bring everyone up to date on the project.