Their concerns focus around the need for such a highway and the irreversible changes it would bring to the heart of Maine. The Maine Legislature directed the Maine Department of Transportation and State Planning Office to issue reports on the highway. Some are already out and the final report is due out on September 15, 1999. No public hearings are planned, although it is reasonable to expect several bills on the East-West Highway in the next legislative session. All need to be addressed.
Scientists say yes.
According to researchers at North Carolina State University, little work has been done to date to investigate the actual impacts of transportation projects on wildlife and ecosystems. They point out that habitat fragmentation and disruption from highway construction can impact the size of particular wildlife populations, with a secondary effect being an ecosystem of less biodiversity and thus lower value. The researchers also raise concerns about how transportation corridors are used by wildlife and whether plantings, medians, and shoulders have beneficial or adverse impacts on wildlife. They question the noise impacts on sensitive species and how to implement collision avoidance measures. The scientists also say additional research is needed on the impact of transportation projects on the accumulation of contaminants in community and ecosystem food chains.