Dirigo Drive opens to traffic
November 1, 2004

Dirigo Drive, the city's newest roadway, opened to traffic Monday and already is a threefold success, Economic Development Director Drew Sachs said at a Monday morning ribbon cutting. "Today is the first day this road is open, and we already have one business built, one who announced that they would be building eight weeks ago and one that is announcing [its project] today," he said.

Dirigo Drive is a new 1.6-mile road that runs parallel to Wilson Street and Interstate 395 and is designed to relieve traffic from the city's busy Wilson Street business district.

A branch office for Bangor Federal Credit Union is nearly finished at the Parkway South entrance of the new roadway, and Eastern Maine Emergency Veterinary Clinic is planning a site across the street.

Brewer Federal Credit Union announced Monday that the company would be constructing a branch office on the new road, which connects Parkway South to Green Point Road, Sparks Avenue, Whiting Hill Road and Wilson Street, near the junction of I-395.

"It's a project that we've been working on for quite a while," President and CEO Barry Jordan said at the ribbon cutting.

The branch office is expected to cost $1.3 million to build and will be located on the right after the junction of Sparks Avenue when heading toward outer Wilson Street. Jordan said he hopes the bank's doors will open by midsummer 2005.

"It's a full-service branch office with drive-through and walk-in service," Sachs said.

H.E. Sargent of Stillwater began work on the $3 million road in March and easily completed the work on time and on budget, Superintendent Scott Blanchard said Monday.

"We had a great team working together," project manager Mike Thibodeau of H.E. Sargent said.

City Councilor Gail Kelly was the first to officially drive the road. She loaded her car with the other four councilors and took off down the road at 7:15 a.m.

"It was like a hidden treasure," she said. "It was awesome. It's aesthetically pleasing and it really is our future."

There are between 30 and 35 business lots on the roadway, depending on the size of parcels sold, and considerable business interest, Sachs said.

The roadway was designed as a professional business corridor with underground utilities and drainage and a walkway the length of the road.

"I think this road is going to be very important to provide for new types of jobs and businesses," said Sachs.

Nine years ago, community members identified the need to relieve traffic levels on Wilson Street and placed creating a parallel road in the city's 1995 comprehensive plan.

There was considerable wetland mitigation with the project and city leaders thanked Civil Engineering Services of Brewer for their design work.

"It's beautiful, but there was so much work that went into this," Councilor Larry Doughty said. "It's been expensive, but it's worth it. This will fill up in no time."

A copyright article on Tuesday, November 02, 2004 from the Bangor Daily News by Nok-Noi Hauger.