Interstate 295 is getting faster, more dangerous and much busier than at any other time that I have witnessed in the past 30 years. It’s like the Daytona 500. People are going 80-plus miles per hour while traveling bumper to bumper. You never see a Maine State Police cruiser anywhere from Brunswick to Portland.
Also, since it’s less expensive to travel 295 than the Maine Turnpike, there has been a big increase in tractor-trailer trucks traveling the interstate as our state increases in population. This is a problem because Interstate 295 is much closer to residential areas than the Maine Turnpike. Not only does the increase in truck traffic pose a danger to commuters, the impact on residential neighborhoods has decreased the residents’ quality of life due to these trucks being incredibly loud.
Something has to be done to cut down on the amount of trucks traveling Interstate 295 and to get people to slow down or we are going to have ever increasing serious noise and traffic problems in the future. One simple solution to the increased tractor-trailer truck traffic is to substantially raise the toll imposed on these trucks at the Augusta turnpike terminal. The increased speed at which drivers drive could easily be mitigated with increased patrols or cameras.
Bob Asbell
Brunswick
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