I have written and submitted the following letter on May 15 to Commissioner Bruce Van Note, Maine Department of Transportation, following my attendance at the Edgecomb Selectmen’s meeting May 2 regarding the hazardous road conditions on Route 27.

Dear Commissioner Van Note,

I attended the May 2nd meeting held by the Edgecomb Selectmen regarding the hazardous road conditions on Route 27 and the ME-DOT plans to replace the road in 2024. I appreciate Senior Project Manager, Rob Betz and Shawn Davis from Tylin attending the meeting. Although I am grateful for their attendance, they were not in a position to have a serious conversation about short term remediation of the dangerous conditions.

We are facing the summer season where we will have over 500,000 cars, trucks, RV’s and motorcycles visit the peninsula. Route 27 from Edgecomb to Boothbay is a seriously deteriorated road that is in such great disrepair that it is no longer safe. The uneven and broken pavement with deep crevices at the shoulders causes drivers to dodge back and forth across sections of the road just to pass through. As traffic increases, I am convinced that we will see very serious accidents directly related to conditions of this road.

Municipal leaders and Legislators were originally informed that the paving project would commence in 2023, however, the decision to delay it until 2024 was not communicated until the release of the updated ME-DOT plans released in January 2023.

My constituents are demanding to know why it is delayed and why the DOT does not recognize the severity of the situation. In a recent Boothbay Register article dated 5/14/23, Selectman Steve Lewis described Route 27 as continually getting worse. He works as a part-time paramedic and said the road’s condition impacts medical care. “It baffles me why they won’t do something about the road,” he said. “We used to insert IVs on the road, but now we do it before because the road has gotten so bad.” We live in a community that no longer has a local hospital and our emergency services are the first responders in providing needed critical care to residents. It is frightening to know that basic health interventions, like IV’s can no longer be administered to patients because of the road conditions on Route 27.

Local residents are right to be concerned and despite the claim that the project is funded with federal funds, the concern is that the “State” and that I, as their Representative, have failed in providing a safe, well-maintained road for passage on and off this peninsula.

Local residents are outraged and frustrated because they do not believe that their concerns are being heard. They know that Route 27 is a road in desperate need of repair now. I was stopped in Church yesterday morning by a parishioner asking what I was doing about Route 27. Every time I go to the grocery store I am inundated with the questions and concerns about Route 27. The Boothbay Register reported this week that the Boothbay Selectmen are formally writing to you and to me about Route 27.

As their Representative, I am bringing their concerns directly to you. We can and must do better. I am inviting you, personally as the ME-DOT Commissioner to come to the Boothbay Peninsula to discuss the fiscal and programmatic decisions that led to the delay of the work on Route 27 and to identify short term strategies to reduce the real risk drivers face daily on this road. Clearly the answers must come from your office as the transportation leader for the State of Maine.

Sen. Reny agrees that this is a serious issue and the concerns are serious and impact the life, health. economy and safety of all people living on or visiting the Boothbay Peninsula. Please let me know when you are able to meet with me and our local leaders to discuss the short-term mitigation efforts you can provide to address the on-going dangers on Route 27.

I look forward to your response to my request.

Sincerely,

Holly B. Stover
71 Dover Road
Boothbay