Freeport voters have approved spending $634,000 to add bike and pedestrian paths on two Interstate 295 overpasses.
The referendum Tuesday passed 801-215. As a result, when Mallett Drive and Desert Road bridges are replaced, they will have 12-foot-wide multi-use paths with 32-inch-tall barriers.
“I think the margin … is a clear example of the broad community efforts of literally dozens of people who contributed to the process of getting the word out and educating on our community and championing the cause for better bike and pedestrian circulation within our community,” said Town Council Chairman John Egan.
“This is a gift from one generation to another,” said Vice Chairperson of Freeport’s Complete Streets Committee Doug Leland.
Leland said the process is “a wonderful example of what can happen when a state and municipal governments and volunteers all start working together towards a common objective.”
“Ten years from now I think people are going to look at those two bridges and say that was the turning point,” Leland said.
The Maine Department of Transportation has deemed both bridges structurally deficient and the state will cover roughly $15 million needed to replace the bridges. The current bridges are 60 years old. The replacements are expected to last longer.
Freeport taxpayers will fund the multi-use paths, which will be paid for through a 10-year bond, amounting to a $14 property tax increase for a Freeport home valued at approximately $350,000.
According to Egan, the timing of the special election was to accommodate MeDOT’s construction timeline for the bridge work, which is scheduled to begin in late 2021. Egan also said that to avoid severe traffic issues, the bridges will not be under construction at the same time.
According to Andy Spaulding, the chairperson of Freeport’s Active Living Committee, increasing bike and pedestrian connectivity in Freeport has been part of town discussion for over six years.
The Active Living Committee focuses on exploring ways to get people in Freeport who are on foot, bike or wheelchair over or under the highway.
“To think about children, families, people commuting to work on foot or on bike safely, that’s pretty cool,” Spaulding said, noting the increase in residential growth on the other side of Desert Road. “It’s a little easier to see a vision that all of us have been exploring for a long time.”
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