Cianbro

To spur economic development in northern Maine and create better transportation links with major Canadian and interstate U.S. highways, Cianbro Corp. is considering privately developing a $1-billion, cross-state, east-west transportation and utility corridor. The 220-mile toll road would run from Calais to Coburn Gore.

“Over the last 10 years, eight of the top 10 investors in Maine have come from Canada,” says Peter G. Vigue, president and CEO of Pittsfield, Maine-based Cianbro. “We need to approach them as business partners. They have some of the same economic challenges as we do in being at the geographic end of the continent.”

“There is a maze of private roadway systems built to support our wood-products-based businesses,” he says. “We can link these existing private ways while bypassing communities to minimize environmental and commercial disruption. It will lower our costs and allow for unlimited weight limits so that we can support twin 53-ft tandem trailers, while keeping them off public highways.”

The highway would link three major haul roads. Intermodal facilities would be built near Costigan, which is located near a rail line, Interstate 95 and the Penobscot River. Another intermodal facility would be built near Brownville Junction.

The firm is meeting with officials from Quebec and New Brunswick and the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association. Halifax is the major container port for the region, and another container port is being planned for Melford, Nova Scotia. “Both ports plus Saint John [New Brunswick] will be linked to the highway,” McKeever says.

Vigue says a number of Canadian and international construction and financial firms are interested, but financing is still to be developed. Maine DOT has assigned a staff contact to assist the team.